Shifters
by CinemaSpeak1991
Summary: Kela has been alone for most of her life. Living in hiding, she only understands one thing: how to survive. What happens when she is whisked away to the world of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters? Are the voices in her head good or bad? post-X3
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's something for everyone to pass the time while I figure out some stuff with my Doctor Who story. As you all know, I do not own any of the X-Men Characters that appear in this chapter. Kudos to whoever finds out who the mystery character is at the end of the Chapter. Please R&R and enjoy!**

**The Beginning**

_Run, just keep on running. Then they can't catch you_, thought Kela as she surged through the underbrush. Her lithe frame weaved in and out of the Costa Rican jungle, her stature and shape allowing her to maneuver around trees, under limbs, over creeks. That was one thing the Catchers didn't have, slim, small figures. They were large, bulky and slow…well, not that slow. The newest batch of clones did have the potential to speed up to 45 miles an hour, but only on open flat terrain. Here in the jungle, with its twisted vines, lush underbrush, and slithering trickles of water, that speed and bulk just worked against them. You needed to be nimble, be light on your feet just to avoid the old mines. As an answer, Kela heard a distant explosion and looked behind her to see a fireball surge up to engulf the unlucky Catcher caught in the deadly trap.

That was her first mistake. By taking the time to look back, she failed to notice the light at the end of the jungle. As she ran into it, she began to fall off the cliff. "Crap, crap, crap!" she hissed, as the open air swirled around her. Shutting her eyes, she focused on an image: an eagle. A familiar feeling of discomfort passed over her as her bones began to shrink, lighten and hollow. Her skin sprouted feathers and her mouth grew, elongated, and sharpened into a beak. She unfurled her wings and soared high above the canyon. The eagle-vision allowed her to scan the ground, hoping there weren't any Catchers there to ambush her.

That was her second mistake. By searching the ground, she failed to notice her former chasers. They stopped at the edge, loading a cannon from within their packs, and shot a net over the Kela-eagle. It wrapped itself around her, sending the eagle plummeting to the earth. She was mid-shift when she fell bodily to the ground. Gasping for air, Kela's half-formed hands struggled to untie her from the net. She finished her shift, and continued running at breakneck speed. She then realized one thing: she wasn't wearing any clothes, them falling somewhere over the canyon when she shifted. She ran, stark naked through the trees, her enhanced sight searching the jungle for a sign. She dived into the hole and opened the door just as a Catcher flew past. Kela breathed out a sigh of relief.

"That was close!" she yelled, right before covering her mouth. Someone or some_thing_ might hear her. Silence was the key to staying alive. It meant survival of the fittest. Kela settled down for another long and cramped night in her little hole.

* * *

Kela woke up bright and early, her internal clock telling her the time she needed to be up. Reaching farther back into the hole, she pulled out a couple of small plastic bags. Moving cautiously out into the bush, and went towards a small pool she remembered when scouting out the hiding places. She stepped welcomingly into the cool waters and cleaned off the dirt and sweat from the day before with some herbs in on of the small bags she held in her hands. She dried off into the warm sun and walked about 100 paces, coming to a tree stump. Taking off the top, she reached in and pulled out a set of biking shorts, a tank top, shoes and socks. There also was a light fleece jacket.

_Not much use at night_ she thought. It was warm during the late summer in the jungle, it got very cold at night, and she didn't want to risk starting a fire. Putting on the clothes, she began to ponder wear to go next. Now that the Catchers had found her, she had to move, or risk being found again. Kela was pretty sure that there now was a satellite tracker over the entire country. She pondered going to Brazil, but she had a hard enough time learning Spanish, she couldn't even think about the difficulty of Portuguese. Columbia? No, too close. The only real possibility was either Mexico or back to the States. Since home wasn't an option, Mexico it was.

Opening the remaining bag, she pulled out some dried meat and fruit. She took sips from the pool as she ate. Not exactly a feast, but it gave her a little more energy. She pondered whether or not to save some for later. _No sense starving,_ she thought. She quickly ate the rest of the food. After finishing the meager meal, she determined which way to go, and started off.

Being a Shifter, there were some…enhancements to her being. Not only could she morph her body into any animal she had encountered before, (living in the jungle had its perks) she could lift heavier things, being stronger than many heavyweight lifters. The sight wasn't too bad either. Who wouldn't want to see ten times better than an eagle?

But, being a Shifter meant certain death. Kela wasn't too sure, but any Shifter caught by the Catchers were never seen or heard from again. She knew she must never be caught. Whatever company manufactured the Catchers is what is taking innocent Shifters. Kela has done nothing but running and running since she was nine years old. She started in Canada, ran through New York, down the East Coast and further south. She was happy in Mexico for a while, but the guns and the violence scared her even farther south. Next thing she knew, she was in Costa Rica. There she made a living in the trees, holes she'd dug out and placed supplies and "borrowed" clothing for when she shifted.

Yes, she was happy. That is, until she realized she had no companions to help her pass the lonely days in the thick jungle. Kela began to remember the nights, when she caught herself mumbling former conversations with long-lost friends. When she began to go insane with the silence, she became so anxious that she shifted without warning. And that was dangerous. Shuddering she banished the thoughts from her head. She was better now.

Presently, she heard a twig snap, and instantly she was on alert. She focused on the segment of forest, in the direction in which the snap originated. She was about to shift when a deer bounded across the clearing, startled by an unseen foe. Kela visibly relaxed. _Just a deer_, she thought.

That was her third mistake. A man jumped down on top of the girl, knocking her to the ground, and began to wrestle a type of cuff on her. She fought with all her enhanced strength. Try as she might, Kela couldn't shake off the Catcher as he threw her around the jungle floor. He seemed to shove her into every rock and branch in the entire jungle. She focused and shifted to a mountain lion. Roaring, she struggled with the man, clawing her way out of the cuffs, she rounded on the man, and bit down on the exposed flesh of muscle that was his neck. With a quick scream, the man died. She went in to attack again, but stopped herself. Shifting back, Kela realized that she broke the one cardinal rule of all Shifters: don't become the animals. Doing that meant becoming a savage being that the government was warning the public against. She remembered the day, over two years ago:

"_Due to the recent events surrounding the Alcatraz massacre in California, the President of the United States has signed a bill requiring all mutants to register for the Mutant Registration Act. This new piece of legislation is met both support and skepticism, as both sides have taken a stand over the rights of mutants around the country, as well as around the world. The US is planning to present a similar bill to the UN, making the MRA a worldwide phenomenon. Is bill was passed in both the house and the senate following the resignation of former ambassador Hank McCoy over allegations about bigotry in the White House. When asked for a comment, McCoy had—" Maria shut off the TV, despite that outcries of protest from some of the other Shifters in the small, makeshift camp. She snarled in protest at the new legislation._

"_This is so retarded, now, where the hell are we going to go?" shouted Maria. She was one of the most resistant to living in hiding. "All it took was one stupid non-Shifter to go mess everything up and now this stupid Mutant Registration Act is gonna kill us all!" Kela tried to calm her down, but Maria just shifted into a wolverine and ran off into the woods of North Carolina to go cool off. The distant howls and snarls of the Maria-wolverine made Kela shudder. It was people like Maria that would get them all found out. Or worse._

Kela began to cry. Poor Maria, she was one of the first to be taken by the Catchers. Kela remembered the words Maria shouted when they caught the small ragtag group of Shifters. They called them "mutants" and tried to shoot them, to get the kids to stop struggling. She said to "run, just keep running, I'll find you someday!" right before being tranquilized. The stupid non-Shifter (Kela knew they were technically called "mutants", but she couldn't shake the nickname that she had heard all her life) that the reporters called Jean Grey was responsible for this. If she ever found this Jean Grey, she could kill her. Why, oh why can't she stop crying? Was it because she killed the man that tried to take her? Was it in remembrance of Maria, a girl she very well knew she could never see again? With great fear, she turned over the man she had just killed. He was a rather muscular man, with bark brown hair, short-cropped that when down to two sideburns across his cheek. She felt some sort of sadness, but she quickly banished the idea. Catchers were Catchers, and they deserved to die.

With one last look, Kela turned at began to walk back in the same direction she was trying to go. A sudden sound caused her to turn back around, arms in a fighting stance and a growl that found its way to her throat. The man that was supposed to be dead groaned awake, and sat up. Kela saw that the back of his neck, which was once gashed open and at a sickening angle was healed, and the bones seemed to have fixed themselves. The man was rubbing his neck, looked at her and spoke.

"Jesus, kid, I'm only trying to help. You could ask questions first and kill later."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You all know the drill, I don't own anything, except Kela, and the Catchers. PS, I want to see what everyone thinks of my X-Men story. please R&R! I will love you all if (and when) you do. **

**Safety, For Now**

_This is impossible. He can't be alive. I _killed_ him_, Kela thought. She was perplexed as to how this man, who she _knew_ she killed, is sitting up, glaring at her. This is when Kela noticed that her clothes where tossed around the clearing, giving the man a full view of herself. Completely naked. Turning a nice dark shape of deep red, she turned into a dog, and grabbed all of her clothes. Most of them were torn, but she could still wear them. She dragged them off into the bush, where she changed back, and put her torn and dirty clothes back on.

Kela contemplated running, but she was so sure about the Catcher, he certainly didn't tranquilize her, and she wasn't dead yet. But a Catcher was a Catcher, and she couldn't trust him, not yet. Speaking was never going to happen. If she spoke to him, he could alert any others her position and then she was screwed. Yes, she wasn't going to speak, at all.

Walking out of the bush, she warily walked up to him, but not to close. Kela had learned to stay away from anyone and everyone who came through the jungle. The man was tensed, like he expected her to change and attack him again. Maybe that's what he wanted, or maybe he wanted to help. Kela flinched as he held out his hand.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to, but I fell out of the tree, goddamn branch. I'm Logan, I'm from up in New York, and I wanted to tell you, that there is a place were people like us—"

"I'm _not_ one of you" Kela snapped, before quickly covering her mouth. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She mentally kicked herself. She cannot talk, or else she was doomed. She started to back off into the trees. The man called Logan tried to reason with her, but Kela wouldn't listen to him. "Please, wait, let me just explain…" Kela shook her head, and turned to go. She ran smack into a Catcher, a real one. Kela's blood turned to ice in her veins, and she started to hyperventilate. She heard a soft "_snick_!" and looked down to see that Logan had knives coming out of his hands. A feral growl escaped his throat. _He sounds like me,_ Kela thought. _Maybe he isn't one_.

_Trust him_.

A voice sounded in her head, and she jumped. Kela thought for sure she was going insane. It was the jungle; it's starting to mess with her mind again. Kela tried to back away, but her feet were glued to the ground. She had never been this close to a Catcher before, and she didn't like it one bit. He was a large, thickset man, pale white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. His stone-like face was masked in an emotionless state, and at first, she thought that maybe he could not speak, oh how she was wrong.

"Peace, mutant, we are only here for the girl. If she comes peacefully, no harm will befall her. You have ten seconds to respond." His voice was a monotone, but it was deep, with a slight rasp to it. To mechanical, Kela would think.

"Don't think so, bub, I've heard of you and your little company, and I think it's time to shut you down." Logan barked. He launched himself at the clone, which quickly sidestepped out of the way and landed a crushing blow on Logan's back. He landed on the ground with a grunt, and rolled once or twice, before stopping. The Catcher turned toward Kela, and began to advance. Kela was to frozen to move, but she tried to run. The Catcher grabbed her by the wrist, and started squeezing, hard. She cried out and shoved the thing away from her with surprising force. He only moved back about five feet. The Catcher launched itself after her, slamming her against a tree. Kela was instantly knocked unconscious. The last thing she saw before her eyesight went black was the Catcher standing over her limp body.

* * *

Kela awoke to the smell of cooking meat. Her head was throbbing, and she felt tightness around her wrist, the one where the Catcher had grabbed. It was bound in a type of sterile gauze, and there was a thin support that was taped from her palm to the middle of her forearm. She looked up to see Logan sitting on the far side of a small fire, turning some kind of animal on a spit. Kela's mouth watered, but she held back. He may have helped her, but that didn't mean she could trust him. Not yet.

He picked up the animal off the spit and held it out to her. "Trust me, yet?" he asked, as if reading her mind. Kela gingerly approached Logan, and she grabbed the spit and scooted back to her original place. She started devouring the animal, she was very hungry, and the small meat and dried fruit she had eaten earlier in the day had worn off long before the little affair with Logan and the Catcher. She burned her tongue on the scalding meat, but it tasted very good. She was about halfway through when she realized that he had nothing to eat. She handed him the spit with the half-eaten animal, and climbed up into the trees. She poked her head back down, motioning him to eat. She shimmied up the tree and began to pick the fruit that grew there. Near the top was a fleshy, mango-sized fruit, which she grabbed two of the largest ones and slid back down. Breaking open the fruits, she scooped out most of the inner flesh, and left an empty shell, about an inch thick. She took some water and poured it into the shell, and took a pinch of the inside of the fruit.

She placed the shell of the fruit on top of the fire, and waited for the heat to cook the water to a near boiling point. Grabbing the shell quickly, she laid it outside the fire, until the water was cool enough to drink. She drank a small mouthful, and handed the rest to Logan. She could still taste sweetness of the fruit as he swallowed the rest. He nodded in approval.

"It helps stave off hunger", she whispered. _A little spoken word never hurt anyone before, right?_ Kela thought. The voice sounded in her head again, this time it was a warm chuckle. She tried to shake the laugh out of her head, but to no avail.

_It's all right; I'm not here to hurt you. I just came to tell you to relax and trust him: he is good. _The voice, a deep and comforting one, continued to reassure her. Kela wondered what was happening, but she needed to focus on Logan again, he was handing her something.

"Take these, you look like you could use some clean clothes. No, don't put them on yet, I need you to hide, turn into something, like a dog, or cat. I'm going to take you back to New York; there is a place where you can live safely. Trust me, just for a bit. I promise not to let anything hurt you." Logan said, staring into Kela's dark-green eyes. Kela pondered this, at odds with her natural survival instincts and the voice in her head giving her a reason to let someone, anyone in.

_He seems fine, but I still don't understand why I should trust him? What makes him so special? _

_There are many things, Kela, which you will have to figure out for yourself. I am only a guide for you, to learn to trust, to help, to truly survive. Let them in, and you will find many things about your powers that you would never be able to tap._

_But, how do you know all this? Who are you?_

_You will find out in time. But, for now, trust him._ The voice told her. There was something in the tone that made her relax, to be at peace. She nodded. Logan smiled, and took the clothing back. And told her to follow.

"You don't talk much, do you? Fine by me, I hate annoying kids." He stated. Kela was curious about this Logan. She knew (well, found out) that Logan was some kind of non-Shifter who could heal him, and he had metal knives that would pop out of his hands. She needed to be wary, he looks like he angers easily. They walked along in companionable silence, until they came to one of Kela's holes. She remembered something that she felt would come in handy someday, so she opened the door, and crawled inside. Kela knew she would not miss the small, dank, dirty hole. Reaching back, she pulled out a dirt-covered cloth bag, and crawled back out. Inside the bag were about eight flowers. They were a bright red, with the color getting progressively lighter as the petals reached the center. They had a restorative power when you crushed a single petal. Something told her that these flowers could solve something.

"Are you done? We need to get outta here. Something smells funny. Logan arched his nose, and smelled the air. Kela could sense it, too. Changing into a dog, she followed closely, a small whine escaping her throat. He hissed out a "shh!" and released his claws. Kela growled. There was someone watching them. Her hearing picked something up, and she tensed, ready to attack. _What am I doing? I can't get too involved with my shift, just what Maria told me_. Kela thought. Putting her long, thin nose to the ground, she smelled the area for any kind of person. She looked up to face the barrel of the gun, and she backed off.

A tall, muscular man walked out of the bush, gun still pointed at the Kela-dog. The man seemed to tower over Logan, and his sweaty, bearded face was twisted into a sneer. His black eyes boor into Kela as he cocked the gun, preparing to shoot.

"Well, well, Logan looks like you found the girl. Now, I'll just take her off your hands, and maybe I won't kill her. It's been a while, brother."

"Don't think that you can take her, sabretooth, and since when does an animal like you use a gun?"

The man called Sabretooth laughed. "You have no idea what she is, do you? Don't think I have forgotten that you nearly killed me on Liberty Island. Luckily, I don't die as easily. Now, stupid bitch, come with me." He slammed the barrel into her head, and she wobbled. With a snarl, Logan launched himself at Sabretooth, knocking the gun from his hands. Kela shook her head, and turned back to her regular self, then thinking of another image. A tiger. Her body hunched down as it sprouted a tail, growing fur, and the long, sharp canines to boot. Roaring, she slammed into Sabretooth, and sunk her teeth into his arm. He yelled, and hit a fist into her face, hoping to knock her loose.

She held on, biting down harder, and harder, hearing the bone snap from the pressure. Sabertooth once again slammed his fist into her face, and she released. He stood up, holding his broken arm.

"You have no idea what is going on, do you? Don't think I won't find her again. He is waiting for her." As an answer, she roared at him. He snarled, and backed into the trees. Logan picked himself up, and retracted his claws. Cracking his neck, he said, "Well, that was interesting. Lets go, we are running out of time." _What does he mean, brother?_ Logan thought. A memory tickled at the back of his mind, but he dismissed it.

Kela turned back into a dog, and followed Logan a distance behind him. She had a respect for the man, and she was certain he was no Catcher. _I wonder what's in— wow. That is one cool flyer._ She thought. They had reached a clearing, where the X-Jet stood. The proud black plane, stood waiting. The door opened, and Kela and Logan walked inside. Kela took the clothes again from Logan, and turned back into her normal self and changed. A man sat in one of the chairs. Kela recoiled; the man was extremely pale, an albino, with large yellow eyes. He was very gaunt-looking, as if he had never been fed quite enough, and had never seen the sun.

"Logan and the girl are late. Do you know how long Caliban has been waiting? It's been days."

"Can it, white-face. She was hard to track. Don't mind Caliban, he's harmless."

"Caliban tracked the Kela girl. Logan should not have left Caliban to starve in the Jet." He smiled at her, "hello." He held out a hand to her. She stared at it until he dropped it. She sat in one of the jet's chair, furthest from Caliban and the cockpit. _No use in getting familiar, I'm sure that I will have to leave as soon as I arrive in…where am I going again?_ She thought.

_New York_, the voice answered. Kela jumped again. She still hadn't gotten used to the unknown voice popping into her head from time to time.

The voice chuckled again. _Sleep, it will be a long ride back to New York. Would you like me to answer any questions?_

_Yes, why me?_ She answered.

_Because you will ultimately decide the fate of the world one day very soon. I will need you as well. I can help you control your powers, help you unlock your true self, and allow you to trust again. Anything else?_ The voice asked. There was one Kela most wanted to know.

_What is your name?_ Simple enough, one would think.

_Fine. But then will you sleep?_

_Yes._

Kela could feel the voice smile. _It's Charles_.


	3. Chapter 3

** Kela, Meet the X-Men**

Kela jerked awake as she felt a cool, clammy hand gently on her shoulder. Her eyes focused on the large yellow orbs that were Caliban pressed into her face. He smiled, and motioned for her to come off the plane. He held out a hand, and she gingerly took it. She felt a bit woozy, but she put that down to the fact she had never been on a real live plane before. Gently, Caliban pulled her to the door of the X-Jet, it releasing with a soft hiss. She jumped, and slowly walked out into the lights that lined the large room where the jet was parked. To Kela, there were dozens of smells, from the lingering scent of jet-fuel to the subtle hints of a perfume, which belonged to a light-skinned African-American woman, who was walking down some steps to greet the small group of mutants.

"Logan, where have you been? It shouldn't have taken long to find her, what with Caliban helping. Is this her? Hello, my name is Ororo, but you can call me Storm." She said.

Kela felt the voice give off a feeling of warmth. Something told her that this voice had met these people before.

_I used to teach her_, it told Kela. _She was one of my first students. She seems to be getting well along without me_. Kela detected a sense of sadness, like the voice longed to be back among them; in some body she had no idea what it looked like.

Kela was still a bit standoffish, not used to the whole idea of being in a place that was open, surrounded by people who could be potential Catchers. Storm just smiled and dropped the waiting hand, hoping for a handshake. Kela seemed at awe with the massive space that housed the Jet. She never had been in a building this large since, well, ever.

"I understand that you have been, out of touch with most of the world, so let me get you settled in. We'll have to take you shopping, I think those are the only clothes you own, and New York can get pretty cold in the winter. You can room with Kitty and Jubilee, they will be happy to share." Storm continued on, but Kela began to tune her out. She was just waiting for anything that could mean she could leave. She hoped to stay in Mexico, but complications from Logan and these…people meant she was back in the States. And being here meant she was in constant danger, and the people around her were also in danger. These non-Shifters had no idea what the company was capable of, how they would destroy anyone who got in there way. And no healer like Logan or the woman Storm could save them.

_You should pay attention; she is saying some pretty important things_, the voice said.

_Charles, I don't understand why I'm here, can't they just leave me alone?_ Kela answered.

_You need to be patient, and they can teach you some valuable lessons, which can help you…_

_I don't want help! I want to be alone. Just to be alone, back in the jungle. And I want you get out of my head!_

_You need to relax, calm down your mind—_

"No!" Kela answered, out loud. Logan, Caliban, and Storm stared at her, as if she was crazy. Maybe she was. Kela hated being the center of attention, and these people were making her very uncomfortable.

"I—I don't want any of this, I want…to go back. Thank you, for saving me, but, I would rather just…go south." This was the most Kela had spoken since Logan had found her. It was in a hushed voice, for sure, but she had spoken. She felt her heart hammer through her chest, and she felt as if she was both on fire and surrounded by an ice-cold river at the same time.

She started backing up, toward a possible exit, before hitting a solid, warm mass. She turned around, and came face to face with a large, _thing_, covered in blue fur and a nice, somewhat causal looking suit. He put on the glasses he was cleaning on his shirt, and Kela collapsed.

Hank McCoy grabbed the falling girl as she fainted. Picking her up, he shook his head. "Did anyone check her for diseases or parasites before she stepped off the jet? You could endanger everyone in this school"

"Well, I was too busy saving her ass from those damn clones that kept attacking her." Logan retorted. Dr. McCoy just groaned and took Kela into a nearby room, and set her on one of the beds. He began hooking her up to an IV, and he quickly and methodically took any vital signs. He sighed, her body was wracked with fever, and he noticed that there was a small insect bite on her right ankle. "So that's how you became sick," he mumbled to himself. He injected a basic antibiotic into her arm, and hoped the sleep and proper nutrition would help.

In truth, Dr. McCoy had been hoping she would arrive soon. He was amazed to find that a girl had stayed hidden so long, that no one, save for the Professor could have found her. _She's so young_, he wondered. _What happened to you?

* * *

_

Kela was running. She was running, back in her jungle, the way things were supposed to be. Maybe what she had seen was all a vision, some crazed delusion that she saw as the thing was chasing her. She heard the feral roar coming at her in all directions. Whispers sped through the air like planes, so fast; there was no way to detect them. A slip, and she was falling. Again. But this time, something was wrong. She couldn't shift. She was spiraling, down, down, not knowing or daring to see when she would hit bottom. When she would die, smashing to the ground like an overripe fruit. As she fell, she could make out a face, the face of a man, bald, with kind eyes. She smiled, and she smashed to the ground, pain bursting through her.

_This is it_, she thought. _This is my death_. Unfortunately for her, she merely fell out of the bed she was lying in, the IV needle piercing her arm. Waggling up into a sitting position, she yanked the needle out of her arm, and ripped off the electrodes attached to her chest.

_Kela, calm down. You don't want to set off any sensors…_

_Shut up! I don't want any of this. Just leave me alone!_ She yelled at the voice. She ran on down a corridor, and ended up at the end of a hallway, with three doors, two of them were locked, but the third yielded a dark room. She could smell something like moistened wood, and she ran inside, hoping the familiar smell would give her a type of greenhouse.

She ran inside, and shut the door. The darkness was comforting, so she ran deeper inside. Her pants that Logan had given her were covered in sweat, though she had never run long enough to be covered in sweat. She began to lose herself in the smells, the sweet scent of maple, the light, almost mint-like scent of pine. Slowing down, she began to wonder.

_I don't remember any windows, now, how is it that a greenhouse can thrive without any natural light?_ She thought.

_Kela, don't move. You are in the danger room_. The voice answered, very nervous.

_What's a danger—_ she began to think, but was thrown back about twenty feet by a large blast somewhere right in front of her. There was a ringing in her ears, and she struggled to regain balance when another blast hit the floor. She formed in her mind, the picture of a wolf. She hunched down on all fours, growing large canines and a long snout. She madly raced off in the general direction of what she thought the exit was. She soon found herself lost. Running in circles, she was desperate to escape whatever was shooting blasts at her.

Another blast hit her again. This time, it singed the fur she had recently sprouted, and she howled in pain. _What's going on? Someone, help, HELP!_ She mentally shouted, but it was no use, she could be heard in about the same sense as a person could hear the sound of a dog-whistle.

Running further still, she noticed that this room seemed to have no exit, or even a wall. Scratch that, there was a natural rock-wall that she nearly ran into. She made to turn around and race away, but she sensed, no, _felt_, something coming. The ground shook and she was too frozen to move. She pinned her wolf-ears back in fear when she saw it. It was a gigantic robot, with square features, eyes glowing red. The chest had a hole, about twice the size of the Kela-wolf, and it to began to glow. She shut her almond eyes, bracing for the inevitable. The blast sounded, and at the last second, something or someone grabbed her around the middle and she felt a sort of tingling sensation as the large ball of energy…passed right through her.

"Jesus, I didn't know the danger room became this detailed to actually add animals inside it." A girl, very ordinary but very pretty, mumbled to herself. She swiped a bit of brown hair that escaped from her ponytail, and ran off to join the others. The robot began to follow her.

Kela raced after the girl that saved her. She hoped that by sticking close, she could find a way out. As she ran on, she heard yet another voice in her head.

_The Kela girl should not be here. She is in danger_. The word choice told her it was Caliban.

_Get me out then!_ She snapped. She chased the girl, and soon found herself face to face with the same robot. She crouched down, and was about to spring away when she saw that a boy, roughly the same age as the girl Kela followed, ran toward them.

"Kitty, look out!" he yelled. He thrust his hands forward and a jet of ice spilled from his closed fingers like water from a faucet. The ice cracked a bit as it hit the robot square in the chest, blocking the cannon that had attacked them both.

"Thanks!" She said as she ran toward the stunned piece of machinery. Kela was stunned as she saw the girl, Kitty, run right through the thing, not coming out the other side. The robot shook a bit, and then collapsed. A feminine voice sounded in the air, "Sentinel one destroyed. Please report to Logan to as soon as possible. He and Ororo are having trouble with Sentinel two." Kela slunk off in the shadows, hoping to find the way to Logan before the two could wonder if she really was a fake, as Kitty had thought. Kela relied on her nose to guide her there. The smell of Logan was unmistakable—he had this musky scent with an undertone of Canadian wilderness she had longed for since childhood.

It wasn't long before she saw him. Slinking along in the shadows, she tried to avoid the robot's gaze. Logan seemed to be having trouble, weaving in and out of the robot's monstrous hands, barely avoiding the blasts from its chest-cannon. With an angry scream, he ran around and was launched into the air by a rather large, muscular man that was covered in a shiny silver metal. Kela watched in wonder as Logan flew through the air, and then get hit with the full force of the robot's hand. He fell bodily to the ground. Kela yipped in alarm, and felt the gaze of the robot.

From its chest, the being shot out a large metal ball, which hit the ground and transformed into smaller version of the robot. It ran toward the Kela-wolf, and began to shoot small, sniper-like bullets towards the wolf.

_Kela, let your instinct take over, empty your mind, feel the air around the bullet before it comes to you_. The voice told her.

_Empty my mind! It's taking all I know to not get killed! Tell be something that might actually work!

* * *

_

In the Program room, Hank McCoy and Caliban were busily trying to stop the simulation, trying to get Kela out.

"Why is this not working? Caliban, try overrides seven zero three dash two." He punched in a series of numbers, beginning to hate the words "access denied".

"Caliban has tried the overrides seven zero three dash two, and the numbers will not allow to stop the simulation. The Kela girl is in danger." McCoy slammed a blue-furred fist down in frustration.

* * *

_Listen to me! I can help you. Empty your mind and you will survive_. Kela tried to do what she was told. She began to calm down, and the miraculous happened. She began to weave in and out of the bullets just seconds before they whizzed passed her. As the miniature robot went to attack, she leaped over the thing and ran around to attach her teeth between the spot on its neck, where there were exposed wires inside.

Logan watched with amazement. Here was a girl who would barely talk, and she was avoiding the smaller Sentinel with surprising grace and ease.

"Kid!" he yelled. As Kela looked at him, the robot launched a small blast from its arm. It hit the wolf in the side, and she flew off to the side, and graphically hit a tree and was still. Peter ran upon the robot and smashed it to the ground. It twitched with comic effort, and died. The man called Colossus stared at the wolf, and raised an eyebrow, asking the unspoken question_: Who is she? A new mutant?_

Logan nodded, and turned to face the large Sentinel. Storm ran up to them, flanked by Kitty and Bobby. They began to attack the Sentinel. Peter tried the same tactic again with Logan. Having the metal cover his entire body, he picked Logan up and threw him at the Sentinel's head. Logan attached himself to the neck of the robot, and began to hack away at the exposed wiring.

Seconds later, the dismembered head of the robot fell to the ground, and Logan along with it. Kela gasped awake, and covered herself as she painfully shifted to her normal human self again. Her arm was on fire, and her side felt as if the skin was charred off. "Sentinel two destroyed. Simulation over." The feminine voice sounded again, and the scene shifted from the woods to the normal silver-gray of the danger room. Storm hurried over to Kela, who was shaking like a leaf, curled up in a small ball. Taking off the cape, she wrapped it around the girl, who looked up into her eyes.

"Help me, please." She whispered. Storm just held her in her arms, and Hank rushed in, a medical kit in hand. He picked her up, and carefully took her out of the room. The rest of the X-Men were speechless. They stared at each other in shock, and it was Peter who broke the silence.

"Anyone want to tell us what's going on?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Update A/N: Okay, so I accidentally deleted a section that I didn't want to delete (curse you, Microsoft word! _shakes fist_) and this is why there is an update. Also, thanks to Sylvarpen for the critique, if you want to learn about constructive criticism, read his review. Love you all and enjoy! (PS everyone knows by now that I, unfortunately, own nothing except my own characters)**

**Healing**

McCoy spoke into a small device that was located in his left ear, shouldering the shaking Shifter.

"Lex, you want a lesson, get in here." He spoke with authority, but there was a tenderness that overlapped the sentence, as if he wasn't used to talking to teenagers with the mindset of a teacher. Kela was tired, tired of everything, and she just wanted to sleep for the rest of her life, however short it would be.

_You should have listened to me, you know._ The voice said, _but all the same, you handled the situation very well. They might have a chance, with you at the X-Men's side_.

_A chance, a chance from what? And what is an "X-Men"? Can you tell me what is going on?_ Kela asked. There were so many questions she had, but there seemed no room or time in her head to ask them all. Kela slowly calmed down as McCoy held her tighter, allowing her to soak in the warmth his body offered. He smelled like her father, the smell of books and ink, of long hours and countless emotions over certain types of issues, from politics to social issues. The image of a tanned man, with black hair disheveled with kind dark-green eyes, similar to her own, appeared in her mind. Her heart constricted in painful memories, and she banished him from her mind. _Can't remember, not good for me_, she thought.

Hank opened the door to the medical room, and placed Kela down on the metal table that had been her bed for however long she had been unconscious. An adjacent door opened, and a boy, older than Kela by perhaps three or four years, entered. He had a face that had all the angles and mannerisms of a man. He had long, blonde hair that nearly covered his deep brown eyes. He ran a hand, almost self-consciously, through the mane, and he finished pulling off the grime-covered gloves, the smell of oil rolling off them.

"I was in the middle of changing the jeep's oil, and then you get all angry and call me in here. What is it? Need help de-clogging the shower drain again?" he smiled, the light British accent trailing across the room, into Kela's ears. She tightened her hand, and the searing feeling lanced from her mid-arm and into her brain. She hissed in pain.

"God, that's a nasty burn." Lex went over to the sink, and began furiously scrubbing his hands and arms. Hank shook his head, and pulled on some gloves. He started to treat the burn on her arm. It wasn't deep, but it still felt as if she had been run over with a sander. She turned her head away from McCoy as he settled to work on cleaning and treating her burn. Lex had turned around, and pulling on his gloves he asked, "So, what's your name? Mine's Lex, and I think that I might learn yours before I start to help you." He smiled, and she just stared at him.

Hank McCoy chuckled. "She doesn't speak much, so good luck getting her to talk to you. It's Kela, right? I heard Caliban talking about you. You have some interesting powers, from what I saw. I just want to know how you can stay so invisible?" his eyes showed his curiosity. Kela was still unsure, as if at anytime, she would wake from this dream, and be back from where she started. She just turned down her eyes, avoiding any kind of contact to which she was afraid of.

_Better off not letting them in, that way, when I leave, it won't be as hard. _Kela decided.

_You need to let people in sometimes, it helps._ The voice responded.

_I've tried that before, it's not that easy, and it makes you ripe for betrayal. I would rather be alone and alive than surrounded and dead. Besides, they don't want me; I would just get in the way_.

_Trust me, they need you_. There was a pause, as Kela thought about this.

_Can I ask you something?_

_Yes?_

_How is it that you know more about me than I do myself? And why is it that you picked me?_

_I am more than what you think I am. As for the other question, you will need to figure that out for yourself._

Kela wrinkled her nose in impatience. She didn't like not knowing the whole plan; it made her feel, useless, vulnerable. McCoy and Lex kept working, oblivious to the silent conversation she had just had with the voice called Charles.

* * *

Back in the danger room, Logan and Storm were finishing up telling the tale of the Shifter girl who had come from Costa Rica, and how she just appeared in Caliban's mind. They all were a bit skeptical about the small girl who suddenly appeared in the danger room situation.

"So…she just randomly gets on the radar long enough for Logan to fly down to Costa Rica, save her butt, and come back here, only to have her arm nearly shot off by one of the robot sentinels? And _what_ exactly can she do?" Bobby asked, obviously underestimating what she would soon be able to do.

"In a nutshell, yes. But we need to give her time. She's had quite a shock, being alone for quite some time, and now she's shoved into a new situation, a new life. Which is why she is rooming with Kitty and Jubiliee." Ororo reasoned. Sometimes it was difficult for them to understand that they were still finding new mutants who needed their help. It may have been two and a half years since Charles had died, but with Caliban's help, they could continue to keep the school in its true form: a place for mutants to gather and learn to control their powers in a safe environment, away from prying eyes and prejudiced stares.

Pete didn't seem to mind. He was one of the more accepting mutants, with the girl even reminded him of his younger sister back home. She was a small person, but all the same, he sensed something great about her. He would trust her, even if Kela did not trust him.

"Well, all the same, I think we should give her a chance. Like Storm says, we need to keep this school going, if only for the Professor, if nothing else." Peter said. That stilled any complaint any of the other mutants had. There was a consensus.

* * *

Putting the last touches on the bandage on Kela's side, Lex and McCoy cleaned up any remaining gauzes that they had laid out. They were talking animatedly with each other, about who did what and what mutant did this with what powers. McCoy did a primary check over on Kela, making sure that any trace of the disease she had come in with was gone.

"So, how long was she out?" Lex asked. McCoy had told Lex about the girl who had been brought to the school under unsusal circumstances, the insect bite that caused her to faint and bring out a fever.

"About a week. Actually, I'm surprised that she could get better so quickly, normally a disease like what she had would take months to recover." Hank had turned, loading a syringe with some kind of vaccination that would make sure the disease was gone and would stay that way.

_One week! I've been here too long, they could be coming right now_. Kela thought. Kela was never one to be unconscious surrounded by potential betrayers, people who would turn her in to make a quick buck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glint of a needle.

Kela jumped onto the bed with agility that surprised even her; until now she had been wiped out from her ordeal in the Danger Room. Her mind flooded with images of darkened rooms, cold metal tables and mysterious concoctions that usually yielded dangerous results. she backed up until she reached the other end of the bed, yanking the cape tighter around her, and would have fallen off if it weren't for the bars that were raised to prevent a patient from falling off and injuring themselves further. Lex seemed unsurprised, but still concerned for the girl that was terrified of a little needle that would help her rather than harm her.

Hank, on the other hand, backed off. He had seen what happens when you back an animal in a corner, and though Kela was no animal (that he knew of), she was showing signs that she could either change and attack, or she would hurt herself further by trying to escape.

"It's alright. the needle is just something to make you feel better." _What happened to you? _McCoy thought. To show her, he injected the needle into his own arm. It would neither hurt nor harm him. To his relief, Kela relaxed, and moved back to the edge of the bed. He disposed of the used needle and got out another one, which he filled with the same serum. She turned away as he injected her with the vaccination. She sighed, and McCoy saw her mouth moving, telling herself that nothing was going to happen. He frowned, desperately want Kela to trust someone, anyone.

He cleared his throat. "Now you'll want to let that burn rest for a bit, so no overexertion for a while. If my theory holds true, you should be able to take off the bandages after a couple of weeks."

Kela was beginning to feel the aftereffects of the adrenaline rush, but try as she might; there was no rest to her weary mind. Millions of things kept creeping into her brain, from where she was, who these X-Men were, and what exactly was she hear for. She closed her eyes, and tried to concentrate. A thing kept coming into her mind, that of the killer Primeval that always threatened to come out of the cage.

There was one things Shifters had that were their greatest adversary: a Primeval. This thing that would appear out of thin air, take over a Shifter's conscious, and destroy everything in its wake. With the Primeval, it would strike without warning and never fully retreat back into its shell. Only the most skilled Shifters could destroy their Primeval, any less so died in the attempt, or were killed.

Kela opened her eyes at the feel of a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Lex standing next to her with a worried look on his face.

"Dr. McCoy, can you get Kela something to eat, she seems pale." Lex had become the exact opposite of what he was portraying. Instead of the careless joker that she had seen before, here he was staring at her, looking right through into what she was feeling.

McCoy cleared his throat. "Keep your powers to yourself. She doesn't need you snooping around. Lex can enhance and detect mutants' powers, which is why Caliban could find you. One little bump and Caliban could reach to the farthest part of Central America. Quite lucky, actually, I don't think you would have survived much longer if we hadn't found you." He smiled, and Kela baulked, she would rather think that she would be perfectly fine if Logan had never shown up. She felt a slight tap on the shoulder, and Lex held out a set of clothes. He had stepped out during McCoy's talk, and had found the smallest size.

Hank and Lex turned around while Kela got dressed. The sweatpants he had given her were a bit too long, but the jacket and tank top fit perfectly. Kela loved the feel of the smooth cotton on her skin; she hadn't worn something this soft in quite some time. She seemed emboldened.

"Thank you." Hank McCoy smiled. Tenderly, Kela flexed her arm and side. The ointment that McCoy had wiped over the burn had eliminated nearly all of the pain, leaving a slight discomfort. Kela felt something she hadn't felt in nearly five years: contentment. Being in this place had given her a sense that she might belong here, how the people, these non-Shifters could help her, allow Kela to feel a sense of normalcy, if only for a certain amount of time, however brief.

_Kela let them in, let this place in. This could mean your survival, and the survival of others_. The voice told her, reading her thoughts. Kela took a deep breath, and subtly nodded.

"So, whenever you…change, do you _always_ lose your clothes? I think I might have a way to fix that. I am quite the engineer, you know. In the meantime, try not to change and rip your clothes off, as much fun as I might have with that." Lex smiled at his little joke, and Kela blushed. She itched her arm over the bandage, and was rewarded with a small jolt of pain at scratching skin that felt like hamburger meat.

Logan, Storm, and Kitty walked into the medical room, and Kela slinked into the farther edge of the room, waiting for any one of them to bombard her with questions about what she was and how she ended up in the Danger Room. Logan frowned. _So she still is afraid_. He thought. Logan knew it would take time for Kela to get used to the way things were here, and he would wait. He noticed that she kept flicking her gaze to his hands, then back up to his eyes, as if she would be able to sense he might release his claws and attack her. Absently, he rubbed his knuckles, right where each claw would appear, and folded his arms.

"Well, this is going to take some getting used to. I'll let Kitty and Storm fill you in on the whole deal here, I need a drink." Logan said, seeming to forget he worked and lived at a school. He turned and walked out, a bit awkwardly. Kitty just shook her head. "Don't worry, you'll get used to him. I think. Anyway, you can come with me; I'll show you your room. Space is a bit tight, what with all the mutants that keep showing up due to the MRA and all. By the way, sorry about mistaking you for a hologram, but at least you didn't get blasted away right?" Kela stared, not sure what Kitty was trying to say. She shrugged and continued on her way. Kela felt the stares some of the younger "non-Shifters" were giving her, but she was intent on walking ahead, trying to ignore the growling in her mind.

_Kela, you need to sleep. I can help you get rid of the thing inside you, but it will take some work. I've never seen a power this strong before, excepting one or two. _

_Charles, how can you help me? You are just some voice in my head, something I created, I guess, to deal with this place_.

_ You have no idea, do you?_

Kela focused on a spot on the back of Kitty's head, ignoring the Charles-voice. Kitty showed Kela a room with a couple of beds.

"Jules is out for a bit, so you can have her bed. I guess you'll want to sleep now. If you're hungry, there's food downstairs in the kitchen. I will be out, and the bathroom is down the hall. See you in the morning, I guess." Kitty walked out of the room, and shut the door. Kela sighed, and slunk down on the bed. She itched the bandage on her side, and lay down on the bed. Try as she might, her mind would not rest enough for her to sleep.

Absently, she stared at the wall, twirling her hair. She didn't notice the window opening, and a boy about her age slink inside. When Kela turned over in her discomfort, she saw the boy clamp a hand over her mouth.

"You need to come with me." He said. "We are here to help."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow, It sure has been awhile. God, do you understand how busy I have been the last half of the year? What with Finals, Senior Privileges, and Graduation, I just now got finished with the new Chapter! You know everything by now, I don't own anything dealing with the X-Men, except my own characters. So... R&R, enjoy, and Peace out! **

**The Unseen Enemies**

Immediately, Kela tried to scream. The boy just clamped his hand harder over her mouth. He had to grab her arm, to prevent her from struggling out of his grip, and running.

"Will you shut up!" the boy whispered. "I'm one of you, a Shifter. If I remove my hand and show you, will you promise not to scream?" Kela nodded, fully intending to scream. Before she could do so, he let go of her mouth and changed into a crane. Kela's scream died in her throat. It was very unlikely for Shifters to be this close to the city, much less this place. The Company was everywhere. He shifted back, and put on his pants; he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"How did you find me? And how did you get here? I thought this whole country was flagged." Kela demanded. She was back in her element, her natural authority over her own kind asserting herself.

_This is very different; I have never seen you like this_. The voice said, matter-of-factly. Kela shook her head, sinking the voice to the back of her mind. He stood up, ignoring her question, and held out his hand.

"Name's Gerr, now let's go, you need to meet Liam." Kela sat up, and began to climb out the window. Gerr whistled a bird-song and a girl, much younger than Kela, jumped into the window. She was the same height and had the same hair color. She climbed into bed, and pretended to sleep. Kela hoped the guise would be enough, that Kitty or one of the others wouldn't try to check up on her.

Kela lightly jumped to the ground, followed closely by Gerr. He took off his pants and handed them to a dog-Shifter. He quickly changed into a mutt and nudged Kela to do the same. She complied and they took off into the night.

They reached the city a few hours later, following the bright lights the entire way there. New York was a bustling metropolis, the night just beginning for most of the city's residents. Kela understood why it was called the "city that never sleeps". The Gerr-dog nudged the Kela-dog to continue, keeping them in the shadows. They turned down a blind alleyway, and reached a grate, leading to the underground. Gerr yipped twice, and the grating slid open to reveal a girl, about nine, who ushered them further into the sewer. Kela's ears laid back, conscious of the fact that hundreds of Shifters where hiding in the shadows, staring at the new visitor that infiltrated the Shifter camp. They turned right and came to a large section of the sewer, with some tents set up around the center. The dog-Shifter took Kela's clothes and placed them in one of the empty tents. She walked in and shifted back to her original form and put back on her clothes.

Gingerly, she stepped out of the tent and came face-to-face with about fifty different Shifters, all Shifters staring at the newcomer. A voice sounded very close, yet also very far away. "Let her be. She is welcome." About twenty yards away stood a very imposing figure, the "Liam" Gerr told her about. He was a large, tall creature, with deeply golden skin and almond eyes. The name did not match the figure; one might expect Liam to be a skinny man with glasses and messy hair. This Liam way extremely muscular, as if he had been working out since he was twelve.

Smiling, Liam walked up to the small girl, and extended out his hand. "Welcome to the Shifter camp. I trust that your escort took the time to fill you in on our little base of operation. Gerr can talk entirely too much, but he gets the point across." Liam spoke to her in a good-mannered sort of way, but Kela felt he was treating her like a child. The scent of alpha rolled off him in waves that made Kela hunch over in submission. Liam knew, and his smile stretched wide, but still failed to reach his eyes. "Well, I don't want to deter you much longer, but I was wondering, how long have you been hiding? I heard about the raid in North Carolina a year and a half ago, and was wondering how you escaped." Liam looked expectantly at Kela. She swallowed back the pain and kept it as brief as possible.

"I didn't escape. Well, in a way I did, but not in the way you would think. I'd rather not talk about it; I lost a lot of friends that day, and would rather not talk about it. Can I ask you a question?" Liam nodded.

"How have you stayed hidden for so long? Why is it that you didn't try to find _me_? Do you understand I have nearly _died_ a million times over, and yet you have lived here for however long? Why couldn't you find me?" the entire thing came out in one breath, and she fell to her knees, palms on her head trying to settle the Primeval that raged against her skull. Liam sunk down beside her, and took her hand. He placed pressure on different points on the palm. The Primeval retreated. Many of the camp gasped. The alpha never sunk down to the level of anyone, much less an outsider that hasn't been in the country for over eight months.

"How long?" he asked her, referring to the Primeval that been slinking in the shadows of her mind, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Can you help me? Please?" Kela pleaded. Liam smiled. He had finally found his hold.

"I will try. But first, you need to do something for me. Not anything now, rest assured, but in the coming months, yes. Now," he added, "you need to get back, I'm sure that Lemma is tired of masquerading as you." With a pat on the hand, Liam rose and walked off down one of the corridors and out of sight. The other camp members went on their business, as if the meeting never took place.

* * *

Gerr accompanied Kela back to the school, and helped her back into the room. He took out a kit, and re-bandaged her arm and side. The ointment he used was similar to the one Hank had given Kela, but it smelled sweeter. Gerr nudged Lemma and jumped back out the window. Lemma got up and smiled at Kela, before jumping out the window and joining Gerr and another Shifter. Kela stared out the window until the Shifters were out of sight.

_I don't like him. There is something about this Liam that tells me he might want to use you. Do not try to contact him; this can only bring danger on you, Kela. _

_Please, he has done more for me than you would ever do. He nearly helped me get rid of the Primeval! He can do anything and I would follow_. Kela felt the voice frown, and she settled down to the bed, just as the sun peeked over the sky, turning the night into a soft pink color, like the inside of a shell. Kela still couldn't sleep; she felt too comfortable on the bed, where she was used to the ground instead of a plush mattress. She tossed and turned, but didn't fall asleep. So she rose and tried to walk around the school.

It was very expansive, and she seemed at a loss as to what to do next. She began to open doors, looking for something to do. There was a set of double doors that led to a small balcony on what seemed like the third floor. There was a cool breeze that filtered through the air, and Kela closed her eyes, letting the air caress her skin. She felt like she was running on an open field; where there was nothing chasing her, nothing for her to worry about.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Kela was startled out of her waking dream and turned to see Logan slouched against the doorframe, smoking a cigar. She nodded, and turned back to the rising sun. She heard Logan come up next to her, standing by her side, watching it with her. There was a moment of silence where they simply stood at the edge, watching the sky slowly turn shades of pink, red, and orange. The breeze picked up, and the smell of tobacco made Kela miss some of the older Shifters who often smoked the stuff. To her, the sunrise was singularly the most peaceful thing she had ever seen, and it was slowly becoming the most beautiful sunrise she would ever see.

"You can't sleep, as well?" Kela asked. He turned to her and shook his head, "I don't sleep. Not well, anyway. What brings you out here?"

"I like watching the sun rise, it seems so calming, like there is nothing else in the universe that matters, only the colors. I haven't seen one in a long time." Kela kept looking at the peaceful scene, allowing her mind to process what had happened during the night. She heard the sound of fabric hitting the concrete balcony floor. She turned to see Logan tamping out the cigar on the ground.

"Storm found you some new clothes. Come on, some of us are going hiking. Hank thinks you need to come with us, get used to the place. Let's get a move on, kid, we don't have all morning." He turned around and started walking back inside. Kela picked up the clothes and shoes and ran after him. As Kela walked on, she heard the other residents start their day at the Xavier School, the sounds of the younger kids racing each other to the bathroom to get bathed first, to others who made their way to the kitchen to get the best food first.

"By the way, you left this on the jet, thought you might want it." Logan handed her the dirt-covered bag that held the flowers.

_That's where they are! I though I left them in Costa Rica,_ Thought Kela.

_Those flowers could have some pest on them; you need to get rid of them._ The voice said, with a touch of concern.

_No! Besides, nothing ever touches the flowers; I've been taking care of them since I ran down there. It's like they have a natural…smell that keeps bugs away._ Kela reasoned. She grasped the bag, and walked to where Logan told her to change. The clothes were of a light fabric, and the pants reached down just past her ankles. The shirt was of a similar fashion, the sleeves not going past her elbows. It moved very gracefully around her, and she seemed to feel at ease. She walked back out, and met some of the other hikers, led by Hank McCoy. Kela nodded, and they walked out into the brand new day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Discovery**

Kela breathed deeply as she continued her newest hike with some of the X-Men. Since her arrival at the Xavier school, she had learned that not everyone in the massive mansion was out to get her. She grew to relax around the place she could now call home, even when she still wasn't sure she would be staying for long. She was happy for the first time in over a year and a half. She heard a distant call of one of them, perhaps Peter or Logan.

_This is the freest I have seen you in a long time. I hope this means you can stay_, the voice, now a constant presence, said. Kela was growing to like the voice, or Charles, as the voice preferred to be called. Every night, he (she was pretty sure "it" was a "he"—the sound said as much) would help her sleep, though she refused to sleep on the bed, it felt too comfortable to her. She would never remember anything he said, but each morning she seemed to know a little bit more about something, from concentration to Shifter and Normal (those that were "non-mutants") history. She also seemed to be able to think of styles of fighting, though she didn't want to try that out any time soon.

_Hush, I'm trying to enjoy myself. Don't get used to this, by the way, in my experience, this never lasts long_. She said. She began to feel another presence in her mind, that of the non-Shifter Caliban. He would often talk with Kela for hours. Asking more about her past, as if she would reveal anything. That, these "X-Men" would have to wait a little bit longer to find that vital piece of information.

_Caliban wonders whom the Kela girl is talking to?_ Caliban asked. Kela blocked the voice from her mind (another useful trick Charles taught her) and quickly covered up that little misstep. _Nothing, just, talking to myself_. Kela then rolled her eyes. Like Caliban would fall for that, Kela was never a good liar. She felt Caliban retreat, and Kela sighed.

_That was too close. Remind me again why I can't let anyone know about you?_

_It is not the time for them to know. Just wait._

Kela shook her head. Even though it had been a week, Kela was no closer to finding out why this voice chose her, and why she knew nothing about him. She focused on the trail ahead. She had to give it to them; this school has some great grounds.

* * *

Ororo was walking down the hall, humming to herself, worrying only about the students and making sure they were using their study hall to actually study. It was only the beginning of the year, but most of the students needed to be hard at work. She continued along the hallway, close to a side entrance of the school.

As she passed a computer panel, she heard a soft beeping noise. She furrowed her brow in confusion; it almost never beeped, and when it did, she would have been notified. She tapped the four-digit number to unlock the contents of the panel, and scanned the information. She pulled up a picture of two black SUV's turning up the main driveway, slowly making their way to the front door. There were no front license plates, and the only decoration was a seal of the department of Homeland Security. Seeing as there were no terrorist threats that demanded the attention of the X-Men, it only meant one thing: they found Kela.

Storm pulled out her phone and dialed the first number she could think of. To her, each ring took longer than a year. Finally, she heard the voice she needed to hear.

"Hank, you need to get Kela back here, now. They're coming."

* * *

Hank McCoy hung up the phone, and told everyone to get back to the mansion.

"Logan, you need to get Kela, she ran up ahead some time ago. There are people here from the Mutant Registration Act. She needs to be at the mansion, or they might take her, and I don't think she needs this kind of attention. Go, now." Hank turned to go help the others get back inside. Peter looked concerned, but he left with McCoy. Logan burst into a jog, hoping Kela wasn't to far ahead.

Kela was near the top of a hill, sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating like the voice said. The sound of Logan's voice caused her to open her eyes and blink quite a few times, trying to concentrate on who had called her name.

"Kid, we need to get back to the mansion. You need to be registered by the MRA." Logan said, slightly out of breath.

Kela shouted, and scrambled back into a clump of bushes, shaking her head as he did so.

"No! They will find me. I can't, I can't. I will _not_ be taken again."

"Trust me, they probably already found you, 'they' might be the ones who called the department. I keep telling you, I won't let anything happen to you," he held out his hand, and Kela slowly took it. Logan pulled her up out of the bushes. "Now, let's go, trust me, you _don't_ want to keep them waiting."

_What do you mean, taken "again"?_ the voiced asked.

Kela mentally winced. _No, too painful. Can't remember_.

Kela took a deep breath as she and Logan made their way down the mountain. She began to sense the people in the cars, them, and someone very familiar. She conjured up an image of a woman wearing all black, aiming a gun at…

Kela hissed as a searing pain lanced through her head. Logan turned to her, eyes full of worry. Kela grit her teeth and mumbled, "headache". She was reluctant telling him and the others her whole story. Soon, the mansion was in sight, and Kela started to tremble. Logan tapped her on the back of the hand, reminding her it was okay. She could feel herself closing up, closing off from the world. She stuck out her chin, and "soldiered on", as Hank would say.

They entered in the kitchen door, and made their way towards one of the offices. They turned down a hallway, and came face to face with one of the Catchers.

Upon seeing his old adversary, the Catcher grabbed Kela by the throat, and slammed her against the wall. Kela's eyes widened, and she began to kick and struggle, making the Catcher squeeze her throat harder. Logan extended his claws, and made to slice into the Catcher's arm.

"Clone, release her." A woman's voice, filled with authority and cruelty, sounded from the office room. Immediately, the Catcher let go, dropping Kela to the ground, making an about face to the woman that hung by the doorway, leaving the gasping Shifter to back into the corner.

"What on earth is going on here?" Storm yelled, coming down the hallway with another two men in identical black suits and sunglasses.

Kela reluctantly looked upward at the woman. She was a middle-aged Asian woman with perfect features: high cheekbones, perfect almond-shaped eyes, and full, upturned lips. To Kela, the woman seemed like a snake, innocent at first, but a deadly companion. She was covered in head to toe black, a pencil skirt that came down to her knees, and a short black jacket over a black tank top. On her side was a police-issued handgun next to a cell phone.

"Shifters are so base. Scared, and they back into a corner. When will you all learn? Please, it is a wonder how you were never captured earlier."

"Listen, lady, who the hell are you?" Logan growled. Kela closed her eyes from the assault of bad memories associated with this woman.

"Oh, so sorry. My name is Dr. Christina Lee, and I am a representative from RegiCorp. I've been sent to take her back to the labs; she is a very interesting class, one of the most extensive types of your species."

"Dr. Lee, there will be no 'taking' of any kind here, we've discussed this. This is to be a basic registry, so there is no need for your…bodyguards." Hank McCoy spoke. He tried to remain very calm, but Kela could see he was desperately trying to not rip this woman's head off. Kela remembered that he used to be a diplomat.

Christina smiled. "She is dangerous, I'm sure she has told you about her little problem…no? What a shame, it is truly something to behold. And don't forget our little deal, Dr. McCoy, she leaves these grounds, I can put her under the custody of RegiCorp." Christina's attention turned to her phone, which began to emit a soft ringing sound. She popped it open, and read the text contained within it.

"Well, I think I'm done here. Remember our deal, McCoy. I'm sure these boys can deal with the little…mutant. For now, goodbye, little Shifter." She turned to walk out the door.

Right before exiting, she turned her head over her right shoulder. "By the way, Maria says hello."

Kela snapped. She jumped up, and made to attack Christina. Logan reacted quickly, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her back. He barely could hold her.

"Where is she? What have you done with her? If you hurt her so help me _God_!" she yelled, growling deep in her throat. Kela kept yelling until Christina was out of sight. Kela dissolved in a fit of sobbing, slumping to the floor, once Logan released her. The three teachers stared at each other, then at her. Off to the side, a nerdy-looking office drone cleared his throat, wishing to continue. He was deathly afraid of mutants, and Dr. Lee's words struck him to the bone. Kela took a deep breath and stood up, her face devoid of emotion. She walked in the office with the man, and began to register, the one thing she did not want to do, but was forced to prevent her capture.

It was Peter, watching from a remote corner of the room, who saw how much she was hurting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Learning**

The questions were basic, but they cut Kela to the bone. She was desperate to get out of the situation, to retreat back to her little shell, her little world. She kept her eyes down; for fear that she might have another outburst. She could smell the fear radiating off of the registrar, and a quick glance showed that the pen was shaking in his hand. The beast inside her smirked, and settled down to wait.

He took fingerprints, and a DNA sample. With a quick nod, he scuttled out of the room, relieved to be out of the sight of the Shifter girl. Kela remained in the chair, her back straight, soaking in the recent encounter.

_She's alive. Somewhere, if only I could hear her, feel her presence. She is alive I can't believe it. Liam could help me find her. _

_Kela, I recommend staying away from Liam. I sense that he is not what he seems…Kela, why is it that you never told me of what happened?_

_You read my thoughts! You said you would never do that. There are things that…are better left unsaid. Charles, what am I going to do?_ Kela twisted her head, in an attempt to remove the force on her mind. The Primeval was thrashing against its cage, desperate to unleash this pent up anger, the anxiety in her emotions. She rose from the chair, and made to leave, to be alone with her thoughts and try to calm the beast within. Logan was blocking the entrance.

"Kid, what was that? What was the doctor talking about? You are dangerous? Please, you won't even fight back when I _try_ to help you. What the hell is going on?"

"If it wasn't for you, I would be safe somewhere in the jungle, not here, trapped like some animal! Just _leave_ me alone!" Kela had stomped up to him, inches away from his face. She shoved him out of the way, and he flew back against the other wall. Kela stared at her hands, amazed at her own strength, as if she had forgotten her skills. She bolted down the hallway, and ran up to her room.

Luckily, Kitty wasn't inside. She slammed shut the door vaguely hearing the cracking of the varnished wood as it hit the doorframe. She sunk to the floor, yelling out all of her anger. There was something that snapped inside her, and she felt something not entirely unfamiliar.

_Kela! You need to calm down. Listen to my voice and focus. Remember, you are not an animal like they make you out to be. Focus! _The voice told her. Kela's mind was a jumble, like the beast inside her was scattering all thought. Kela grabbed at her temples, desperately trying to listen. She stumbled to the vanity, knuckles turning white as she gripped the sides of the wooden dresser. Slowly, she looked up at herself, and was terrified at what she saw.

Instead of the eyes she had seen all her life, the sinister yellow-green iris of a Primeval replaced her dark green orbs. The pupil was slit like a cat's, and it glared at her like some deadly animal. She immediately shut her eyes in an attempt to remove the Primeval. She collapsed on the ground and curled into a ball, focusing on what the voice had said.

Slowly, she felt herself locking the Primeval back in its cage dooming the creature to wait even longer to feel freedom.

"Kela?" she heard a voice, this one in reality, behind her. She unfurled herself and sat up. She turned to see Pete opening the door, which had a large crack that ran jagged from the top left corner down to the middle of the right side. Pete stared at her, looking concerned. As he opened the door, Logan and McCoy were behind him. Kela brought herself to her feet, glancing in the mirror to check her eyes. Her dark-green ones, filled with fright, stared at her.

"Start from the beginning" McCoy said.

* * *

Before I was in Costa Rica, I was in Mexico, then Texas, Alabama, Florida, well, you get it. I think I was born in the woods, outside Toronto. My parents were like me, and they taught me everything. We stayed out of the way, and everything was fine. I was nine when they came. I don't remember much, just the sight of my mother's body falling to the ground. The next thing I remember I was in some part of the woods, and I was _covered_ in blood.

I ran. The next time I looked at a map, I was in Pennsylvania. There was a Camp of Shifters like me, and I stayed there for a while, until they found us again. We disbanded, and I kept moving. I lived in an old building in Virginia for about eight months, and then I followed someone to North Carolina. That is were I met Maria. She was older than me, and helped me learn to trust people again. She was a natural leader, helping set up a huge Camp with over 30 Shifters. We lived peacefully, and soon moved to South Carolina, somewhere warmer. I was so happy, and Maria was my best friend. It was almost a year later, around February, I think, about six months after the MRA was set up, that I learned what was inside me.

One of us in the Camp had gone to the company and told them where we were. It had snowed, and was snowing again when they came. Maria and I were putting down the younger ones when we heard the gunshots. We ran outside the tent and saw dozens of men in black swarming the camp. Maria told someone to get the children and get them to a safer place. I was going to help him, but she grabbed me, and told me to Shift. We changed into wolves and started running. It was so cold, but we never stopped. I remember slipping on the ground, and realized we were on a frozen lake.

I fell through, and it was so cold, I couldn't move. I tried to get to the surface, but the water froze around me. Maria punched through the ice and pulled me out, and we ran until I saw a cave. I shifted back but I couldn't warm up. We found some old clothes stashed in a box, and tried to warm up. I didn't want her to start the fire, but it was so cold.

I wasn't warmed up when they came. I heard a gunshot, and saw the blood on the snow. Maria held her arm, but the blood soaked through. They grabbed her, and she struggled.

'Run! Just keep on running!' she told me, but I didn't listen, I changed into a mountain lion and attacked. I felt something unleash inside me, and I started killing, but they kept coming. I felt a pain, and saw her. She aimed a gun at me, and there was blackness.

Everyone told me that once I was captured, I would never be seen again. I escaped before they took me to wherever it was. They made me run impossible distances, and injected me with some kind of serum that made me feel like I was on fire. They wanted me to open what was inside me.

Every Shifter is gifted, but it is also a curse. There is a…being inside us that is all raw power. And rage. Only the most advanced Shifters can get rid of the Primeval, and all others have died or been taken over by it. It means death, and I would rather face a hundred years in that place than be caged underneath that thing. I live every day hoping I can keep it under control.

Once I escaped, I kept moving, until I was in Mexico, and then Costa Rica. I guess you know the rest.

* * *

Kela stared ahead, feeling like she had removed about 80 pounds and eight years off her life.

"Well, that certainly is…interesting." Logan quipped.

"I will go _crazy_ if I can't leave. There is only so much of the same thing I can take."

"You have no choice. Let us help you, see if we can't tame this thing inside you. Logan and I both have experience taming the beast. Now, I guess you—" McCoy began.

"I've done it! Kela, you don't ever need to worry about showing off more than you want to, I've created the miracle fabric!" Lex burst in the room, waving around a black piece of clothing. Lex felt the tension, and scratched his head.

"What'd I miss?"


	8. Chapter 8

**How Kela Came to Fight**

"You have the worst timing in the history of the world, Lex." Logan said, jabbing a finger into Lex's chest. Lex gingerly rubbed the spot, lowering the fist that contained the "miracle fabric" as he called it.

"It's fine, I…I need the distraction anyway." Kela said, wiping her eyes, and taking the fabric from him.

* * *

"Let's test this out, shall we? The fabric molds to the body, almost like a second skin. I took the liberty of your DNA from a hair sample you shed about a week ago. This allows the fabric to adhere better to the body, allowing all freedom of movement. When you shift, the Lexica does this unique—"

"Lexica? You really named a fabric after yourself?" Peter piped in.

"I know, clever, right? Anyway, the Lexica do this unique thing of separating the minuscule fibers to allow any change in skin, but prevent it from disintegrating. So if you decide to change into a…bird, for example, the fibers separate allowing for the feathers to appear, but still retain its basic function. Plus, it's machine washable." Lex chuckled at his own little joke. Kela just winced.

The "Lexica" was a piece of black, almost spandex like fabric that started at the base of the neck, went over the shoulders in a basic t-shirt like style, and came down midway over her thighs. It was a bit tight, but she expected it would stretch once she wore it enough. Lex, Kela, and Pete were outside in the waning sun, the weather cooling down after an unusual day. She flexed and stretched her arms, wanting desperately to go back inside. Why Lex insisted she try it outside was beyond her.

"Well, try something. Transform into something, something big and complex. Like an elephant!" Lex shouted.

Kela smiled, despite herself. "It's not that easy. I need to be able to come in contact with the animal; otherwise I could change into anything, real or fake. How about this." Kela focused on a mammal she had saved from a hunter's trap in Mexico. She felt herself shortening, growing a tail, and sprouting a dapple coat. She shook her head, and Kela the Shifter was replaced with Kela the Ocelot. She didn't feel the slightest hint of the Lexica fabric against her fur or her skin. Lex looked like he was about to wet himself. She shifted back to her normal self, then changed into another animal, an eagle, then a mountain lion. Each animal came with its own memories: the eagle, when she lured it with a piece of rabbit she had killed, the lion, when she had to fight one off when it lusted after her meat she was drying in the heat of the Florida sun. Unconsciously, she flexed her right leg, remembering the teeth sinking into her calf.

"Well, I think your 'Lexica' is a success. Can we go inside now, it's getting a little chilly." Pete said. Kela shifted back, and stretched. She felt different, like a weight had lifted off her chest.

_See what happens when you are clean with everyone?_ Charles asked.

_I guess you are right about one thing. I need to talk to Liam, but how can I when _she_ is watching this place like a vulture_?

Nervously, Kela looked around, as if she could spot the cameras trained on her and the Catchers waiting to pounce should she step beyond the boundaries. She ignored the feeling of being watched and followed after Pete inside the warmer house. Despite the door closing, the sensation never left her. Something was going to happen, she just didn't know it yet.

* * *

Kela was headed off to the kitchen for a little snack when Logan grabber her shoulder, and steered her towards the danger room.

"You need to learn how to fight. No objections, this is happening now."

Kela baulked. "But I don't want to fight! You know me, I hate fighting, I don't even like being in the same room when the twins argue over a toy." To be fair, when the twins Sasha and Ramón "argue", it usually involves a massive fight using fireballs and hail.

"No buts, kid. Let's go." Logan smiled inwardly. He had a suspicious feeling there was something more to her than meets the eye. They entered an elevator and soon entered a lower level, near the danger room. Logan punched a series of numbers and the door slid open to reveal the silver-grey of the room. Kela thought back to the first time she ended up in the danger room, and absently rubbed the pinkish skin along her arm where the Sentinel had shot a form a fireball at her.

"Run Simulation One." Logan spoke up. There was a slight crackle, and the room changed to a calm clearing, with woods off to the right, and a lake behind Logan. A slight breeze picked up, tossing Kela's hair about her face.

"If you don't want to fight, at least try to defend yourself." Logan got into a fighting stance, and began to take wide swings at her. Kela squealed and found she was dodging right and left, back and forth to prevent being hit by his reinforced fists.

_Very predictable. Jump up, quick, he's going to try and sweep you off your feet._ The voice said.

Kela glanced down to notice Logan's right leg bending down to swing around his left. She jumped a second to late, and was knocked to the ground. Logan released his claws and held them at her throat.

"Lesson one, don't fall down." He retracted the claw and held out a hand, pulling Kela back up to her feet. Logan smiled as Kela huffed out her cheeks and turned around to head towards the lake, thinking the "lesson" was done. Logan clocked her on the side of the head, and she staggered to the side again.

"Lesson two, never turn your back to an opponent." Kela glared at him. The voice chuckled at her thoughts.

_You could help me, you know!_ Kela yelled.

_Remember what I taught you? Clear your mind, and fight_.

_Ugh, I just want to go to bed_. Kela ducked out of the way of a wild swing Logan took at her. Kela grabbed his arm and swung him against the ground. Kela's lip curled, and she straightened up, figuring she was finally done. Logan jumped back to his feet, and he began attacking again. Kela spun on the spot and swung a fist at the side of his face, but he blocked it with his hand. Kela swung punch after punch, but Logan was there to parry her blows. She remembered what he had done to knock her down, and tried it herself. Swinging her leg around, she connected with the back of his legs, toppling him to the ground. She placed a foot at his throat.

"Here's my lesson for you: don't underestimate an opponent." Logan smiled, and Kela smiled back.

"That's good, just watch your emotions and you'd prove to be a good fighter. Do you mind?" Logan nodded against her foot, and Kela released him. With a quick word, Logan ended the simulation, and they went back to the upper levels for the evening.

* * *

Kela was walking off to bed when she heard a five-note melody of a type of songbird found only in Brazil. Looking around, she ran down a set of stairs to a back door to the yard near the basketball courts. She repeated the song back to the unseen beast, and a small bird alighted on the top of the fence in front of her. It shifted to that of Gerr, who dropped down from the fence with ease.

"You've been registered, haven't you?" he said, eyes narrowed.

"I had no choice, they were going to take me!" Kela hissed, and Gerr backed off.

"Geez, sorry I mentioned it. Anyway, we need to go, Liam wants to talk."

_Kela…_the voice warned.

_Shut up, Charles, It's fine._

"I…I can't. The company said if I left the grounds, they'd be able to take me. I can't go there. Not again. Tell Liam that either he comes here, or I stop trying to help him."

"Kela, we have no time for this; besides, if Liam leaves, all hell will break loose. An unstable law that is only held with Liam's presence holds our Shifter camp together. If he leaves, some of the more base Shifters will attempt a takeover." Kela eyes briefly widened; she had never known that an underground camp could be this problematic; the camp in North Carolina was different than most, she guessed.

With a wince, she decided. "Fine, but if I get caught, I'm bringing you down with me."

As the two Shifters changed and ran off, the operative sitting in the trees flipped out a phone and dialed a number.

"Dr. Lee, she just ran off. Should I tag her?" automatically, the operative steadied a gun containing a dart that would knock out an elephant; he was about to pull the trigger when the woman answered back.

"No. She is our only ticket to find that Shifter movement underneath the city. Besides, if I want the world to see how dangerous these mutants are, I'm going to need something a little…bigger than her just running out of the boundaries. Everything is going according to plan, Smith. I've already aggravated her by telling about her little Shifter friend. I can't wait for the spectacle when her true nature comes out." Christina laughed, chilling operative Smith to the bone. He had heard of what the Shifter mutants were capable of, and he wasn't about to induce an episode.

"Yes ma'am. I will stand down, for now." He spoke, but Christina Lee had already hung up.

As Kela neared the camp, she noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere. There was a bit more tension in the air; that or Kela was just noticing it for the first time. Liam was sitting in a chair acting very nonchalant reading the newspaper. He looked up and frowned slightly when Kela shifted back to her normal self and the fabric stayed on her.

"What, pray tell, is that lovely fabric?" he asked.

"A person at the school created it. I can shift, and I won't have to worry about showing more than I want to. It's called Lexica."

Liam lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting. But fashion choice is not what I need you here for. RegiCorp has opened a new headquarters here in New York. I believe that they are taking Shifters there and using them for experiments. I need you to get inside and destroy their mainframe for the Catcher program so it's a tad bit harder for them to create the clones and capture us."

"Why me? Can't you send in Gerr or one of the others instead? Surely, they can do whatever I can."

"I could, but you have had more access to animals than most people here. That, and I know you are learning to fight from the angry one."

_How did he know that? I've only just started today._ Kela thought.

_Kela, do not trust him. I've been probing around in his mind, there's something wrong with him._

_Please, look at him; he's doing just—_

_He knows something about Maria_. Those five words froze Kela's mind. All other thoughts and questions were pushed out of her mind, as one person filled it. Maria.

"Where's Maria?" Kela demanded, cutting off Liam mid-sentence about something that she wasn't paying attention to.

"How do you know that—?"

"_Where_. Is. She?" Kela cut him off again. Liam sighed, and then rose from his chair, motioning her to follow. They walked past the main guard into a large white tent with a crudely painted Red Cross symbol on the side. He flicked the flap aside and strode in. near the back, Maria lay across a cot, her breathing staggered and pained.

Kela froze in her tracks. She had always known Maria as a strong-willed person, muscular and golden toned. Here lay a creature that seemed the exact opposite: Maria had a deathly pallor and her body was nearly devoid of all muscle and fat; she seemed merely a skeleton with skin that was stretched too tight over the bones. Her once-sparkling brown eyes were now dull, like two old rocks that had sunken into her skull. Kela's numbness was broken once Maria painstakingly turned her head and looked her dead in the eyes.

Kela cried out and rushed to her side, eyes full of tears. She grabbed the pale hand and noticed how cold it was. Maria smiled, and with a raspy whisper, "Hey, kid."

Liam walked coldly up to them both. "We found her discarded outside the city when RegiCorp moved in. She wouldn't speak for two months, then she told us what they did to her. I didn't want to show you this, but you are the one that asked. Will you accept my request?"

Kela stared back up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Fine, I'll do whatever you want. But you should let me take her back with me. There are people there that can help her."

Liam nodded. "You can, but not yet. She can't even move, let alone shift. When you complete the task, I will help you bring her back." Liam gently took Kela by the shoulders and steered her out of the tent.

_I'll come back for you, I promise_ Kela thought, both to Maria and herself. They went back outside and towards Liam's own tent, and prepared for the night they would invade RegiCorp.


	9. Chapter 9

**Kela's Understanding**

Two weeks passed by for Kela with much of the same routine. After her studies, Logan would take her to the danger room and taught her some basic maneuvers that kept Kela on her toes (or more likely) on her back. She would frequently come out of the room with several new bruises on her sides and (once) a split lip. Hank tried to draw the line, but she pleaded with him to let her continue the lessons.

At night, however, was a different story. She made the trip to the Shifter camp, much to the voice's apprehensions. She worked out the plans for invading the new headquarters, and then she would work with those in the sick tent, trying to get Maria to get enough strength to at least shift into an animal that Kela could help and get her to the mansion.

Her nighttime wanderings were starting to get to her. She would feel herself fall asleep, and then jerk awake in time for the end of class. After one particular time, she began to wander outside, hoping the cooler air would wake her up.

_At least no one noticed_. She thought, mostly to herself, though that was most certainly out of the question.

_Not yet. You need to be more careful. Someone could be watching you_.

_Charles, I must have been careful. If not, they would have swarmed this place and taken me._

She heard a sigh, and then Charles retreated to the back of her mind, allowing Kela to be alone with her thoughts. There had been a few instances when he did this; Kela felt herself thinking on old thoughts, rather than devising a plan to help Maria.

The one question she would come back to is why her. The voice kept saying she was different, that she could help the X-Men in some way, but every time she began asking for an answer, he reminded her that some things she needed to figure out for herself. A slight breeze blew through the air, causing Kela to wrap the jacket closer around her. Kela took in the scenery around her, noticing she was in a part of the mansion she had never been before. She squinted and looked back at the school, noticing the balcony she had appeared on, looking at the sunrise when she first truly talked to Logan. It was at least two stories up, and it was covered in some type of ivy that seemed to defy gravity, reaching all the way up to the railing. She backed up, admiring the way the ivy shined in the afternoon light, when her heel tapped up against something hard.

She spun around, coming face-to-face with a small row of tombstones. She was staring at the farthest one of the three on the left side. She bent down to get a closer look. It was a simple dark grey stone, and inscribed was a large X surrounded by a circle. There was a name below it, one "Jean Grey".

Kela's brow furrowed with anger. This was the non-Shifter who caused all of the trouble with the MRA in the first place! Kela was glad the woman was died.

_It's not wise to speak ill of the dead_. Voiced Charles. Kela shook her head and went to the middle stone.

_Who was "Scott Summers"? I haven't heard anything about him from Logan, or anyone._ Kela went to look at the last stone, the largest of the three, a small bowl filled with fire that burned despite the wind picking up.

_He was one of my first students. Kela, you should go, I have a feeling Storm might—_

_You're dead_.

Kela was staring wide-eyed at the name inscribed beneath the profile of a man's head. Kela had placed a hand on the stone, and something flowed through her, like she had just plunged through the ice-cold river from her past.

_Kela, I don't know what you saw, but if you just let me—_

_Get. Out. Of. My Head._

_Kela, you don't understand—_

"GET OUT!" She yelled, banging her fists against her temples. She felt her mind shutting him off, her mental scissors snapping the invisible thread that linked her mind to that of a dead man. The silence in her mind was deafening, and she fell to her knees, the shock of it all painfully coming in waves through her body, dry sobs wracking through her chest.

"Kela?" a familiar voice rang behind her. Kela got up and started to run, but she stumbled because her mind was elsewhere.

"Kela, what's going on? Kela? Kela!" Peter ran up to her, dropping next to her as she fell.

"He's in my head, and he's dead." She spat out, as if the very words pained her to speak them.

"Kela, who is dead? Look at me, who is dead?" Kela shook her head, attempting to move, but her body felt like a great weight had been placed upon it, pinning her body in place. Pete picked her up and ran inside.

He placed her on the couch, yelling for McCoy. He walked in, a device in his oversized hands, looking for something. He looked up and frowned.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, one minute, I hear this screaming, and I see her out by the graves trying to run. She keeps saying 'he is dead' but I have no idea what she's talking about. She won't even look at me, or does anything other than say those words. Her skin is freezing; I think she's in shock."

McCoy got down on his knees; one hand feeling for a pulse, but Kela just pushed his hand away.

"He was in my head, and he's dead." She began to shiver, violent tremors that seemed to shake the couch. Peter got a couple of blankets from the floor and wrapped them around her. Kela was wide-eyed, shivering but she still mumbled, "He's dead".

McCoy searched for her eyes, but she stared at the space above him, ever mumbling. He took his hands and held her face; forcing her to stare at him. The mumbling stopped.

"Who is dead?" he whispered, and Kela's mouth worked opened and closed, like a fish gasping for air above the water.

"I'm crazy, aren't I? He was in my head, telling me things, teaching me. I'm crazy?"

"You are not. Who is he?"

"It started when I came here. The voice. But I trusted him, he knew everything about this place and I never even _doubted_ him. But I know now, he is dead, and the voice I knew was something I made up, or did I? He told me fantastic things, things I could do. He is dead, and Charles was in my head."

McCoy sat back, stunned.

"Charles…Charles Xavier? Kela, listen to me. Is he there now? Pete, get Logan and Storm and meet me in the Professor's study. Kela listen to me, you said he was in your head. What happened?" it seemed more like a demand. He laid a hand on Kela's arm and tucked it back under the blankets, her shivers slowing down.

"No, no, its all a lie, everything he told me was a lie. The tombstone said so, and so I told him to leave and he was gone. Its all lies!" she shoved Hank out of the way sitting straight up on the couch, rapidly speaking in some old language. The walls began to shake as she spoke quicker and quicker, her breath seemingly without end. As quick as it began, she gasped and a thin golden light trickled out of her mouth, and she fell back onto the couch. Her eyes fluttered open, and she seemed to focus on Hank for the first time.

"What's wrong with me?"

Kela opened to door to the study, Hank following behind her. She held one of the blankets around her shoulders, keeping her eyes to the ground to avoid the stares of those who were there to protect and help her. Hank guided her to a chair, and she sat down, eyes always on some spot other than the mutants in the room.

"Since I came her, a voice has been inside my head, and his name was Charles. He would tell me things about this place, and at night would teach me, helping me to control my powers. It wasn't until today that I found out he was dead."

Logan, leaning against the desk, frowned. "You couldn't have told us any of it?"

"He told me not to. Then I touched the tombstone, and I found out. I…I shut him out of my head, I can't find him anymore, and that scares me most of all, not the man in the vision, but—"

"Vision? What are you talking about? And what man?"

"The tombstone showed me something. I saw a man, rising from a golden chair, and markings glowed all over his chest. He spoke something, I couldn't understand it, but then he looked at me, and laughed. He touched my forehead, and it felt like an electric shock went through me. Suddenly, I knew." Kela stood up suddenly, and went over to the bookshelf. She picked a book on the middle shelf. It was roughly the size of a bible, covered in soft red leather and stamped with golden hieroglyphics. She flipped open to a page, writing on one side and a drawing on the other. She set it on the coffee table and pointed to the drawing.

"That's him." Logan, Hank, and Storm leaned over the picture, studying the man. He was covered in muscle, and seemed to lord over the subjects bowing at his floating feet. Hieroglyphics were tattooed across his body, and two eyes stared at the reader with the menace of ten thousand men. Kela recited the caption below it, as if she had read it a hundred times.

"Considered to be one of the most fearsome myths of ancient Egypt, Apocalypse was an ancient Pharaoh that many believe to be one of the first mutants. He started a reign of darkness that lasted nearly two thousand years. It was the secret dealings of an advisor and an Animal deity that created his demise, a prison made of Obsidian that would last for ten thousand years." Kela spoke, eyes closed in remembrance. Charles had told her about the book in the study, but she never had the courage to go inside and read it.

"Are you saying that this myth is real? You've got to be—"

"Seriously Logan, I think there may be some truth to this. I remember the Professor telling me about how mutants have gone back as far as the first civilizations, and how they were treated as gods. How does this connect with you, Kela, and why does he choose you, rather than one of us, or even a mutant in the school?"

Kela straightened her chin. "The Voice kept telling me that I would be needed, but he never said how or even when. Something to do with the deity and the advisor, I think." As Storm and McCoy talked about the matter at hand, Logan noticed something about Kela that seemed…different. She seemed to have a commanding presence in the room that made her sit a little taller, look at people in the eye, and speak with clarity that she had never done before. He was sitting to the side of her, and watched her tilt her head toward a window in the study. She frowned, and turned towards the window.

As she looked outside, Logan heard the same noise she did. His hands tightened into wrists and his claws snaked their way out of his knuckles.

"Logan, what's going on?" Storm was staring at him, a look of shock on his face. Kela made a yell of surprise, and ran out the door.

"Kid!" Logan stood up and ran after her, Storm and Hank on their heels.

Outside, Kela was running towards a small group of people, one of who was carrying some large thing behind him on a homemade sling. Many of them were bleeding and limping, the boy, barely able to walk while carrying the burden.

As he ran up along side her, Kela was kneeling on the ground, sobbing and holding the hand of a terrifyingly thin girl, not much older then Kela.

"What happened?" She asked.

The boy, Gerr, stared at Logan until Kela nodded him to proceed.

"We were ambushed."


	10. Chapter 10

**A Fight to the Deaths**

Kela instructed two of the survivors to carry Maria inside, and pulled Gerr's arm around her shoulder to relieve him of some of the weight. She helped him back inside, eyes trained on the ground as she passed Logan. He noticed the boy's left leg was covered in blood, and he seemed to favor his right side more and more.

Once down in the hospital area, she placed Gerr on one of the tables and ripped off the pant leg of his left side. A small caliber bullet wound was centered on the side of his left leg, blood oozing out of the hole. Kela shuddered at the sight and the smell of the blood, and Hank glided her out of the way, going to work on the bullet. Kela ran out, and bounded up the levels to her room. She threw open one of the drawers and pulled out the bag filled with the flowers. Despite the fact they were dried, they still released a pungent aroma. She clutched the bag to her chest and ran back downstairs.

She stopped Hank from stitching the wound together.

She took out the top flower from the bag, ripped off three of the petals, and popped them in her mouth, chewing each carefully. Spitting it back in her hand, she placed the clump of chewed flower directly onto the bullet wound.

"Kela! You need to keep the wound clean, this could cause an infection." Hank exclaimed.

"No, it won't." Kela started, as she took off another petal, and placed it over the sticky mess. "I had just made it to Costa Rica when I was bitten by a snake. I was almost dead when some man in a strange dress made me a tea out of these petals. In a couple of days, I was fine and on my way. He told me that these petals can heals almost anything, given the right application. I did the same thing when some animal bit my leg, and it healed in no time. Wrap this up, will you?" she told Hank, who was baffled. Kela sighed, and decided to show him.

She found a small scalpel and sliced her thumb open. She chewed another petal in her mouth and rubbed the mess over the cut. She took a square of gauze and wiped off the goop and the blood. There was a thin line running vertical over the pad in her thumb, but the skin had re-fused together and completely healed.

"See? It might take a little longer because it goes so deep, but it will help him, better than any stitches. You just can put anything on it, or else the flowers won't work. I never had a chance to use it when I got burned in the danger room, or else the scars wouldn't be quite so noticeable." She unconsciously rubbed at her arm over her jacket. Hank was still skeptical, but he agreed to the same treatment, with minor variations, on the rest of the survivors. Maria was a different story. She had fallen unconscious when Gerr had taken her, and Lex had to hook her up so she could continue to breathe properly. Gerr had followed Kela into Maria's room, with the support of crutches.

"How did it happen?" Kela asked.

"I don't know the full details, but RegiCorp somehow found us. It all happened pretty fast, and before we knew it, they had bagged and tagged about half of us. Some managed to distract the main group while I got others to escape. It was weird, Liam didn't even try to shift and help out, he just ran. The look on his face though, it was like he wasn't even _there_, like he had disappeared. I hope he turns up here as well, I want to get my hands on him, he left of there to those, _things_." Kela's jaw clenched, and she fought to chase after Liam._ Charles was right; I never should have trusted Liam_. She thought. _He must have been the one who tipped off the Catchers_.

A sense sounded off in her head, and she left Maria to the hands of Hank and Storm. Gerr felt the same thing, but he couldn't follow to help her. Logan, wary of how she was reacting, frowned and crept along after her. He was amazed at the way she was handling this, most would have had a mental breakdown. He stayed farther back from her until she stopped in front of the door.

"What is it, Logan?" her voice seemed older, somehow.

"I'm going to make sure you don't do something stupid. Like run off and find that person you were talking about. Like or not, I want to help you, kid."

She turned to look at him, her eyes looking strangely blank. "You should have stopped me sooner then. I've been sneaking off for the past two weeks to help them plan an attack against RegiCorp. I guess that an attack is out of the question."

Logan sighed. "I know. I've been watching you leave every night, and seeing you come back every morning. I don't sleep, remember?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Logan shrugged. "Curious, I suppose. I meant to follow you, but I thought you could handle it."

"Let me do something, and then I promise no late-night trips anymore." She frowned as a muffled yell came from out on the lawn. She turned and headed out the door, Logan following behind.

"Kela!" the voice yelled. Liam was standing halfway across the lawn, a bit bedraggled but in one piece. A growl escaped Kela's throat, and her hands curled into fists. _Once, just once_, she thought. _I could let the beast out of the cage and use it to kill him. _The Primeval crouched in anticipation. It loved a good bloodshed. Kela banished the thought. Even someone like Liam didn't need to be ripped to shreds.

She strode toward him, and she finally noticed the smell. Something was off about him. She realized this was the way he was since she had met him. The Liam in front of her was not his true state. It was her adoration with him that masked what he really was. The Primeval had taken over. The real Liam was dead, and had been for some time. Why he hadn't reverted to his animal state perplexed her. As she got closer, she saw that Liam was slightly hunched, and dark bags had formed under his eyes. His face was red, and there was were scratches around his cheeks and face, like he had tried claw out his eyes. His arms hung loosely at his sides, the fingers clawed like he was about to strike.

Kela took this all in stride. Whatever thoughts she harbored for him had vanished.

"Shift and fight me! You could have killed her, could have killed them all!" Kela crouched down, preparing to change into a mountain lion.

Liam laughed. It was a purely guttural sound, devoid of anything human.

"You wouldn't attack a Shifter who has been given the cure! If he had only let me in, I could have prevented this. But he wanted to leave this world behind, join those pathetic humans! I _saved_ his body, at the price of his consciousness dying and the loss of his powers. And now, you will pay for what you did to us, our existence!"

"You're the one who gave them away! You condemned your own kind!" Kela was trying so hard not to break his neck. The Primeval strained to break free; this would have been over by now, it reasoned.

Liam laughed again. "You don't know, do you? RegiCorp has been following you from the beginning, tracking you, in hopes of finding the camp. Looks like they got what they came for. They'll come after you next, and then the true Evil will be back upon the earth for another five thousand years." this statement snapped something inside of her.

With a feral yell, she launched herself at Liam, shoving him to the ground. He got his feet underneath her and kicked her across the space. They jumped up at the same time and threw themselves at each other, colliding with a dull thud. Logan was staring wide-eyed, in shock. The raw anger was something he hadn't seen in her in a while. She sidestepped Liam as he attempted to punch at her stomach and brought her elbow down on his own. They grappled with each other in increasingly violent ways; Logan was reminded of two carnivores fighting over a meal or territory. He desperately wanted to help her; Liam seemed to be gaining the upper hand, and he had size and weight on his size, but to intervene would be dangerous for him and could cause repercussions for the girl.

Kela was desperately looking for a way out. All of her anger had been drained and now all she had left was fear, and Liam could sense this. He began to notice she was attacking a second too late, and he found his opening. He connected with the back of her knees, and she fell to the ground. He wrapped a hand around her throat and kept her pinned to the ground. She began to struggle against the pressure. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear.

"Give in Kela, become like me. You would be surprised at how easy it is. Then, you might have been able to live." Liam squeezed, harder and harder on her neck, and Kela struggled to stay alive. She was about to give in to the blackness when the pressure was released, and the cool air rushed into her throat. Logan yanked Liam off the Shifter girl and fought him away from Kela as she coughed and gasped for air.

"All right, bub, how about you deal with me!" he yelled, and extended his claws to attack. Liam deflected the blows and hit Logan square in the chest, sending him flying. He turned to attack Logan again.

Kela found her chance. She ran up behind him and grabbed him at the back of the neck. In one swift movement, she snapped his neck.

* * *

Logan came to soon after; Kela knelt on the ground, mumbling to herself. He took in the body of Liam soon after, neck at a grisly angle. He got up off the ground, and walked towards the girl, concern covering his features. Her brown hair was disheveled and hanging about her face. Her face was red, and her shoulders were heaving up and down.

"You okay?" he asked. She barked out a laugh and turned her eyes to him.

"If by okay you mean I nearly lost control of myself? Then yes. Don't _ever_ let me do that again." Kela got to her feet, and shakily followed after Logan, leaving the broken body of the former Shifter leader to lie in the grass.

Kela knew that sometime during her fight with Liam, Maria had died. She kept silent all the way down to the hospital, and it wasn't until they were almost to the Mansion's hospital that Logan noticed the tears streaming down her face. He tenderly placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned in, sobbing into his shirt.

Kela walked towards the bed, Logan clearing out everyone else beside Gerr and the wounded. She shifted to a wolf and howled a sorrowful tune that reverberated through the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Curing the Cure**

Kela spent the next week in silence. Most of the time it was spent with the other Shifter survivors; she paid close attention to everyone. She never ate; what she did eat would sit in her stomach like a stone, and she wouldn't eat anything else. Kitty and the others noticed her absence in the Danger Room, but they never complained about or asked why. Kela seemed as if a ghost: she walked around from room to room, never speaking, eyes trained on the ground.

Gerr and the others took up residence in some of the common dorms, and were welcomed by the other residents. Gerr was the only one Kela would talk to. What she said he in turn relayed to Hank and the others so they could gage some type of mental state. She told him and the others about Liam, how the cure had essentially killed him, and his Primeval took over his body, like a parasite. They all agreed that there was always something off about him, but the way he spoke with such conviction that they overlooked it. They had permission to burn Maria's body, which they did in the woods the night after she died. With Liam's, they simply buried him. Cremation, for a Shifter, was a way for the soul to be free to intermingle with animals they had taken the form up. To be buried, they thought, was to be doomed to a Shifter's untrue form; that of a being tormented by the Primeval.

In Kela's mind, the silence was deafening. She found herself talking to no one, and she was reminded of the weeks spent alone in the jungle for the first time. As she wandered around the mansion, she began to think that she was in a dream, but she wouldn't wake up. Her mind offered no relief so she could try and sleep. When she did, she was plagued of nightmares: running from some beast with yellow-green cat eyes, it grabbing at her throat and screaming with a blood-curdling yell. She never would get more than a couple of hours and she was in danger of attacking anyone who tried to wake her up from her screams. She often found herself at the area of the tombstones, kneeling in front of Charles' and mumbling to herself.

It was the late afternoon on a chilly day. She was in that familiar spot, kneeing on the ground, when Gerr, who had been watching her farther back, came and sat down with her. She grew silent when he approached; she had been sensing his followings of her, but generally didn't mind. They sat in silence for some time, Gerr ripping bits of grass from around the grave and blowing them out of his hand. Through the curtain of her hair, she studied him. She never took the time to actually notice him, but she noticed that he wasn't much older than Kela, two years at the most. He had scruffy light brown hair that, after a swift haircut, fell around his face in a slight curl that seemed to bring out his face. He wasn't overtly handsome, but she seemed he was pleasant to look at. He had dark brown eyes seemed to give off a warm glow. His lips turned up at the corner, giving him a perpetual smile, which was at odds with his circumstances.

"You would have liked her," she said. Gerr looked at her, puzzled.

"Maria. Before all of that happened to her. She would get a bit angry sometimes, but she was nice, and sweet. She would have called you Angel, because that's what you sort of look like, but with brown hair." Kela winced at her own words. _It's true_, she thought, hoping for an answer knowing none would come.

Gerr smiled. "Thanks, I guess."

Kela nodded. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before she ventured to talk again.

"I've never really asked any other Shifter, but how are _you_ dealing with your Primeval?"

"It's not as bad. Maybe it's because I have no one left to lose, not really. All of my family is dead, and the other Shifters I don't really know. The less I have to worry about hurting, the more…relaxed, it is." Kela looked over at him, and swiftly pecked him on the cheek.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Gerr rubbed the spot on his cheek where she kissed him.

"Come on, let's go running." He said. He stripped down to the Lexica fabric Lex had fashioned for him ("Well, can't have them all go walking around stark naked, can we?" he had said) and shifted into a dog. Kela followed suit, and they took off towards the woods.

They played an intricate game of tag, trying to outdo the other in a display of showmanship. Their frenzied barks echoed throughout the trees. Deeper and deeper they ran, Kela careful to stay within the boundaries of the school. Not that it mattered much anyway. If Dr. Lee was going to take her, she had had plenty of chances to do so before. Something else was waiting for them in the trees.

Sabretooth silently shifted his weight on a large branch stalked the two dogs as they wove through the trees. Seizing his chance, he dropped down beside one of the dogs and wrapped his hands around his neck. The other growled and ran at him to attack. He batted her away and held on tighter to the other's neck. Kela shifted back yelled at him on her hands and knees.

"Let him go! It's me you want, not him!" _No more people will die on my watch_, she thought.

"Let the dog go." A voice spoke in the darkness. A beautiful woman slinked out of the trees. She had straight black hair that cut off at her chin, and piercing blue eyes that cut through to Sabretooth's skin. In any other life, she would have been a model. With a snarl, he let Gerr go, who changed back and scrambled over to Kela.

"You," she said, nodding towards Kela. "You know about the cure. Come with us, now."

"What is she talking about? Kela? We all know about the mutant cure." Gerr said, not taking is eyes off of the animalistic man curling his mouth in disgust.

"Not _the_ cure, the cure _for_ the cure." Another voice spoke. Out of the shadow came one more. An elderly man wearing common clothes, but one hand holding onto a red metal helmet. His hair was a slate grey, and blue eyes stared at them both.

"Who are you?" Kela demanded. The man just smiled.

"You are very amusing, child. I am Eric Lehnsherr, but in another life I was called Magneto." Kela's hands tightened into fists. Logan had told her about Magneto. He had nearly killed millions of people gathered at Ellis Island by trying to turn them into non-Shifters. He then helped to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge and start the Alcatraz massacre.

"I don't know about any 'cure' other than the mutant one. Leave us alone." Magneto smiled. He looked at Sabretooth, who launched himself at the Shifters. Kela braced for the impact, but felt nothing as he pulled back, hand wrapped around Gerr's throat. She cried out as she saw his hands squeeze and Gerr cried out.

"I believe that you do." He spoke. Kela closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine! I'll get you the flowers. Crush a whole flower for each of you and brew them in a tea. It won't take long, but it will hurt. You should have your powers back. Just let him go."

"Bring us the tea, then I will let him go. We can wait." Kela winced inwardly and ran off towards the mansion.

_Be safe, Gerr_. She thought.

* * *

She was boiling the water when Lex entered the kitchen, whistling the English anthem. He smelled the flower in the tea and came up beside her.

"What are you making?" Kela stared at the wall by the stove.

"Tea. Gerr and I are out by the woods. We'll be back soon." _I hope_.

Lex shrugged his shoulders, grabbed his snack, and left.

* * *

Kela ran back as quickly as she could. She tossed the thermoses on the ground, and Sabretooth released Gerr.

"You've got what you want. Leave!"

Magneto made a show of a mock bow of the head.

"Of course, my dear." He turned his back and walked deeper into the woods, flanked by the woman and Sabretooth. Mumbling under his breath, he sighed.

"Poor girl. You will have to face so much so soon."

* * *

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I'll be just fine. The question is, are you?" he looked into her green eyes. She stared into his, and then looked away.

"I'll meet you back at the mansion." He said. Shifting into a dog, he ran off back to the school.

Kela took her time making her way back, letting the chilly air wash over her and calm her nerves. Despite this, she had the feeling something was off. It felt like it did when she was back in the jungle, walking along a path to get back to Mexico. She stopped, the sense heightening. She tentatively sniffed the air, but came back with nothing. Shaking it off as fear. But of what? She shook her head and continued walking. By the time she reached the door, it was night. She noticed the pile of clothes. Gerr had taken both sets back when he came. She smiled, the thought of his name touching something inside her. She walked past the common area, a few mutants gathered around a board game of some sort. Ramón looked up and called her name, but she ignored him. Rolling his eyes, he focused his attention back to the game.

She opened the door to her room, and sat down on the bed in the darkness. After Maria's death, Storm had moved her to her own room, down the hall from Bobby's.

"Hello again." Kela stiffened. Slowly, she switched on a lamp, and in the corner was Dr. Christina Lee. She was in an all black outfit, and a small boy was standing next to her, hand on her elbow.

"You…"

"Kela, Kela, Kela." She spoke, with a shake of the head. "What did I tell you? Leaving the boundaries of the school was not allowed." She saw her eyes widen, and she chuckled.

"What? You'd think I wouldn't keep tabs on you? Oh dear girl, you are mistaken. I must thank you; your little trip found me the Shifter camp in New York City. It's too bad about you though, you were just getting a grip on the Primeval. I even thought you'd have killed it.

"I can see the headlines now: Rogue Mutant Destroys City. Kills thousands. Oh how the people will scream." She began moving closer to Kela as she said this, the boy one step behind her the entire time.

Kela found her voice. "For someone who hates mutants, you sure keep strange company. How did you get here?"

"Simple really. The boy can stop time, only for a few seconds. Give us plenty of time to get inside and wait. It's a shame about you, though."

Kela barked out a laugh, more out of fear than humor. "What's that?"

"Didn't you guess? You're the mutant." With swift movement. Christina plunged a large syringe into the center of Kela's chest. The liquid poured into her system. Almost immediately, she felt her heart rate quicken, and the thing in her mind thrash against her skull. Christina placed the syringe in Kela's hand.

"What…what did you do?" the act of speaking was almost painful, and, involuntarily, a growl escaped her throat.

"Concentrated adrenaline. The dose is so high it would kill a non-mutant. For a Shifter, however, it can cause just enough damage to unleash the beast. I look forward to hunting you down." She began to laugh, and in an instant, Dr. Lee was gone.

Kela stumbled down the stairs, falling down the last half. The syringe was held so tightly in her hand, she could vaguely hear the snap of the plastic. As she grasped the wall for support, her fingers left inch-deep grooves in the wood. Her heart rate pumped even faster, and her breathing came in short gasps. A mirror on the wall showed that her eyes had been replaced by the cat-eyes and were surrounded by dark blue scales. She smashed it in her anger. In her mind, she felt the mental chains snap, one by one, and the Primeval launch an all out attack against her consciousness, struggling to overtake it.

She burst into a room, Logan, Hank, and Storm sitting on a couch, discussing an event on the news.

Kela collapsed to the ground. She screamed, and the Primeval awoke.


	12. Chapter 12

**Primeval Unleashed**

Christina Lee was supervising the Shifters that the Catchers had taken. The boy had taken each Catcher and had them take a Shifter while time had been stopped. Most were still asleep, but one was giving her trouble.

Gerr was thrashing against his captor's hands, veins popping out on his neck as he tried to keep his own Primeval at bay.

"Dear boy, you need to stop this nonsense, you can't get away."

"What have you done with her?" he demanded.

"I have started the spark that many of the world have been waiting for. She will be with us very soon. Take them to the extraction chamber, except for him. Put him in isolation. Then I can deal with him later." She addressed to the Catchers. A small scientist had appeared at her side.

"Doctor, I don't think this is a good idea, we haven't even tested _them_—"

"I don't care, he needs the energy, he won't last long without it. " _At least, not until Kela gets here_. She thought.

* * *

"Get me out!" she yelled, thrashing against the ground. Soon, she felt her jaw tightened, speaking, let alone breathing, was become difficult for her. Her head throbbed as the Primeval stab at her consciousness, a feral growl escaping her throat.

"Kela, what happened?" Logan said, grasping at her arms as she threw her body away from them. Logan had run to her when she screamed, and tried to pry the broken syringe from her hand.

"Lee…need…needle…Primeval…adre…adrenal…adrenaline!" She screeched and bucked, desperate to keep the thing inside her. A spasm wracked her hand, and the syringe dropped into two halves. Hank held her head in his hands.

"Kela, don't let this thing take over. You can defeat it. Listen to me! Don't give in!"

"NO!" she spat out. She gasped out a breath and lay still. Her hand shot out and wrapped around McCoy's neck. Her eyes shot open, and stared menacingly at him. She barked out a yell and threw him away from her, before slamming against a wall. She grasped at her stomach, suddenly realizing what she had done. Her eyes kept changing from her normal orbs to the cats-eye she had seen in her dreams. She ran and threw herself out the window, landing with a thump on the grass, the glass falling over her.

She hunched over, her body wracked with pain. She screamed as two nubs began to grow on her back. As she grew larger, wider and taller, the nubs grew to two great humps. With a great splitting sound, the Lexica ripped down the back and split in two. Her hands grew into claws, and talons sprouted from her nails. She threw her head back as scales spread out from her eyes, and her face elongated and fangs lengthened from her mouth and short horns just out from the back of her skull. The great Dragon roared as the wings spread out from the body.

Inside her mind, Kela sunk down further into herself, the Primeval began to wrap mental chains around her arms, legs, and body. It bit into her mind, screaming in pain.

* * *

Logan was running down the stairs to get outside, Hank and Storm close at his heels.

"We need to keep her under control! Don't let her leave the grounds!" He yelled, shoving the door open and releasing his claws. The Dragon heard the thump of the doors, and swung its head around, roaring. Storm had come up beside him, Hank yelling at Pete and Bobby. With a last growl, Kela-Dragon's wings flung out and began to pump at the air, slowly rising up and up. Logan launched himself at her, and slammed his claws into the tail end of the Dragon. It screeched and fell back to the ground, flinging the tail around to get this foreign thing off of it. With a great flick of the tail, Logan flew off of the Dragon and landed in a heap near the school. With a howl, the Dragon inhaled, and expelled a great fire from its mouth. A jet of Ice came to meet the fire, Bobby encased in ice slowly walking towards it.

The Fire stopped, and shot a jet of ice at the Dragon's face, covering the mouth in ice. He did the same with the wings, the legs and feet.

"Do you think that will hold?" Logan asked.

"Not a chance, but it can stall her." Bobby said. As if on cue, the Dragon thrashed its head and a great cracking sound was heard; the ice broke apart on the Dragon's head, and similar on the wings and feet.

"You can't stop her, it's useless." Storm said. Her eyes clouded over and became completely white; the wind picked up, branches come loose from the trees and the metallic tang of lightening filled the air. The Dragon roared as a bolt shot down from the sky and struck it on the side of the wing. It screeched in pain as the smell of singed flesh. It breathed fire again, Bobby barely able to stop the massive wave that flew towards the X-Men.

"Logan, we can't stop her! I don't think I can fight off that next breath of fire." Bobby gasped, his energy nearly spent. It wouldn't matter. The Dragon launched itself into the air, the singed wing barely able to make a full flap.

"Kela can't go far, Storm made sure of that." Logan said.

"Yeah, just into the city, surrounded by millions of people! We can't stop her, Logan, no one can!" Hank yelled.

"We can at least try, I won't give up on her!"

* * *

Christina Lee had just gotten off the phone with one of her force, telling her that Kela had taken to the air. They were waiting in the middle of the city, milling about the unsuspecting thousands, waiting for the sound of the Dragon to enter their ears.

_Come out; come out, wherever you are._ She thought, discreetly checking the firearm she had been given. It had been modified with tranquilizers, enough to kill an adult African elephant. She hoped if she emptied the round into Kela, it could bring her down. A call came in on her earpiece.

"The Shifter has been spotted in the area, The first wave is headed out." Dr. Lee smiled. _The game has begun_.

Already, the screams became heard. The Dragon had dropped into the middle of the city, breathing fire in its wake. Gunshots rang in the air, and the Primeval shrunk from the sting the bullets made. Nothing pierced its skin, and it became enraged. The fire it breathed out obliterated the first wave from RegiCorp, ash in place of human bodies. The Dragon reared its head, and Logan shot out from the ground and wrapped his arms around its neck. Logan's claws found a soft spot at the base of its neck, and sliced it cleaning down the middle. The fire that was beginning to form exited out the hole in its neck in a molten mess. It snapped its jaws at Logan unable to reach the mutant that held on to the neck. It flung off Logan, who landed in a heap as Dr. Lee aimed her gun.

A fist slammed into the side of her face as she made to pull the trigger. Storm had flown down and made sure she hadn't done the unthinkable.

"What are you doing? I need to bring that thing down!" Christina yelled.

"You did this to her! I won't let you take her." Storm answered back. Christina reached for the gun, and launched herself at Storm.

"Unless you want it to keep killing people, I suggest you let me do my job!" She punched her in the face, and then ran off to get a better vantage point. She had noticed something that would give her the Shifter on a silver platter.

* * *

Peter was trying his best to dodge the Dragon's swings of the tail and hitting its legs to bring it down. If he could only get it to calm down, Kela might be able to come back to them. Then something began to change.

The Dragon had ceased attacking, and turned the great head towards another part of the city. It roared, and flung Peter aside with its tail as if he was a mere annoyance. The nostrils flared as the body heaved itself towards a figure in city. It growled, a familiar nuisance filled the Primeval's mind. A man sat in a wheelchair, eyes steady and even with the Primeval's. Its mouth snarled and hissed.

_Kela! Come back to me_. The man called Charles Xavier sent in a thought towards the great Dragon.

_She is gone; I have taken over, now move away, little man!_ The Primeval had taken over.

_I know she is in there. Let her go, she has something great in her. _

_ Ha! The child is nothing compared to me. Do you think she has a chance against the Apocalypse? She won't last five minutes in that game._

The mental battle began. The Primeval stabbed at the Professor's mind, his own mental shields up to block it. Outside, the beast roared and made to squash the man in the chair, but for some reason, despite all the Primeval did, the talons fell within inches of the man, creating deep depressions in the city ground. Xavier probed deep into the Dragon's mind. Kela was struggling against the bonds; she reached out a hand, just out of reach.

_Help me!_ She thought.

Christina Lee fired out the round into the open spot at the base of her neck. The Dragon screeched and threw itself back. It shook its head, the eyes changing back to a normal dark-green. The great beast swayed back and forth, shrinking and changing. Kela fell to her knees, a line stretching from the top of the throat to the hollow area at the base of the neck, a trickle of blood coming out of the mark. A look of pain, and fear crossed her face, and she reached out a hand to the man who she had heard so often. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

Logan had appeared around the corner, and stopped dead. Catchers flew past him and grabbed the girl down on the ground.

"What have you done?" Xavier asked.

"I stopped a dangerous Mutant, Professor Xavier, she would have killed you and this entire city. We will take care of her." She walked past Logan, after the Catcher.

Logan was staring at the man he thought to be dead. He was sure Professor had died at the hands of Jean Grey.

"Professor?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Apocalypse Rising**

"Lock her in isolation room two!" Dr. Christina Lee yelled as the Catchers dragged the unconscious Kela through the main doors. She had woken up once from her drugged stupor, and thrashed about in the armored car, shifting halfway back to the Primeval before Dr. Lee took a needle filled with animal tranquilizer and jammed it into the side of Kela's neck. The leader of RegiCorp was annoyed with the Catchers, and at herself for creating adrenaline that potent. At least the isolation rooms she had created would (hopefully) keep her nature at bay.

Each padded cell was specially designed to keep the more violent Shifters under control, the harsh lighting giving off a small amount of radiation that would suck out what little energy they still contained after weeks of starvation, dehydration, and torture. They would wear a straight jacket for over 20 hours a day, the other four spent in the extraction chamber. There, they would be forced to Shift to feed a tube that would suck the energy and deposit it in a room that would feed something else. Her normally perfect hair was escaping the tight bun and flying into her face. She ran a carefully manicured hand over the stray bits of hair, and tucked them behind her ears until she could get to a mirror.

She followed the Catchers carrying the Shifter girl to isolation, then made sure the lights were switched on high. _She won't be getting up, much less escaping any time soon,_ Dr. Lee thought, _Even if I have to be the one to beat her myself._ She stepped behind a two-way mirror and darkened watching room, watching the beginning stages of Kela's new home. Once Dr. Lee was satisfied, she walked down one of the twisting hallways, walking up to a door that required three different types of password identification. Once every password was entered, the door slid open on silent hydraulics. The room was stripped of any real color (exempting one item), the palette the same silver grey, the grey of concrete blocks and there was nothing inside it except one chair, rather a throne made of the most beautiful gold, covered in hieroglyphics that hadn't been seen since ancient times. Sitting on the throne was an ancient man. Stick thin with skin the same color as the walls; his wrinkled form was hunched over with the great strain of age. There were black markings inked over his bare chest that rose and fell with shallow breath. Two sunken black eyes painfully moved to stare at the bowed head of the doctor. The lowered head flinched at the gaze as if it stabbed through the delicate skull.

"She is here, my Lord." Dr. Lee shakily said. The voice that answered sounded like burning paper. The man on the throne rasped every breath as if the act of thinking to speak pained him.

"Very good…Dr. Lee. I expect…everything…to continue…as planned. There will be…a week until…the new moon…I…we shall…act then…do not fail me…this time. Make sure…my young…goddess…is comfortable." He scraped out a laugh that dissolved in a fit of coughing. Christina awkwardly added in her own laugh.

"Yes, Master Apocalypse."

* * *

The mansion was in an uproar. The younger students, who had only heard of Professor Xavier only in passing, were suddenly very curious to see the bald man in the wheelchair enter the school. They were told to stay in their rooms, but some of the teleports would sneak glances in the main hall, and then back to the rooms to tell everyone of the man. So naturally, as soon as the study doors closed with the "adults" inside, the entire school had heard of the man who had risen from the dead.

"How have you been alive this whole time? Do you understand that we could have used you? You were off, God knows where, and everyone else has been trying to deal with the anti-mutants and then searching for others, _especially_ Kela…!" Logan yelled. The Professor, as usual, kept a calm head, waiting for Logan to finish.

"Let me explain. Jean did kill me, though that was only the death of my physical body.

"Do you remember when I would teach a class on a man that had slipped into a coma, how he was legally brain dead? A woman, Moira McTaggert, and I have been working on the transfer of consciousness from one person to another. When I died, I sent out my consciousness to that man. What felt like hours, were weeks. Inhabiting a new body took some time getting used to, and I would wake and fall back asleep for almost a year. When I fully regained consciousness, I needed to get used to this body. It was the same as my old one, unfortunately with the same disability, and each movement had to be trained back into my system.

"Every once and a while, I would feel a stab of consciousness of another person, a girl alone in the jungle, struggling to survive. It wasn't until Caliban found Kela, that I could finally reach her mind. I had read about Apocalypse, and I believe that Kela is that animal God that had trapped him in Obsidian all those years ago. He can only rise to power by taking the energy of the descendants of the God that had captured him. The descendants—"

"The Shifters." Storm interjected. "Speaking of which…"

"There all gone!" Lex had burst into the room, brown eyes wild. Despite all orders to remain inside, he had placed an ear up to the wooden door as soon as it had closed.

"That's impossible, the cameras would have picked up—" Hank began.

"The same way they 'picked up' that woman who turned Kela into that monster? Every single Shifter has vanished."

"Then we don't have much time."

* * *

Screams bellowed from the isolation room, somewhat muffled by the thick concrete walls. Dr. Christina Lee watched behind the two-way glass as one of the Catchers took liberty with attacking Kela. They had placed her in a straightjacket, now spotted here and there with her blood, her face covered in her own blood as well. Once the yells stopped and Kela fell once again into unconsciousness. The Catcher, oblivious to her state, continued to hit and kick her, unsatisfied with this new result. Dr. Lee let this go on for a few more seconds before speaking into a mike on the wall.

"Enough." The clone didn't respond. Christina sighed and spoke again, more forceful this time. "I said, enough!" The Catcher's arm paused in mid-air, and stiffened. Slowly, he lowered it and walked out, face a blank mask as usual. Christina had always been annoyed with the clones she had created, but she had to admire the way they would go after something with cold-hearted determination, no matter the cost. She was about to leave, let the broken Shifter to her own devices when a sound from inside the room made her pause. Kela had woken up, and was dragging her broken and bloodied body against a wall; gasps barely serving for breath escaped her mouth.

Dr. Lee motioned for a Catcher to grab the girl, and have him follow her. She walked towards a second set of doors, and had the clone throw the girl inside. It was a relatively small cell, the same grey color of the outside walls. Dr. Lee walked in and lowered herself down to Kela's level.

"I'm going to give you a chance, just once, to Shift. To anything, I don't care, but I need that energy, and He needs it as well. Shift, once I close these doors. Disobey me, and I will kill them all." Kela mustered up the energy to spit in Dr. Lee's face. Christina slapped her across the face, and unhooked the straightjacket. Kela's arms unwound themselves and desperately tried to push herself to her feet, to escape. The door slammed shut and the lights went out. Electricity coursed through the cell, and Kela screamed. She fell back to the ground, and despite her own accord, Shifted to a mountain lion. Dr. Lee smiled.

"Perfect. Now, Gerr, is it? Tell me what you know about Kela." Gerr had been thrown in a back room, giving him a front row seat. He lifted up his head, a black eye covering the right side of his face, a small cut swollen with infection.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Liam never told me anything. Let her go, she's useless to you!" he tried to get up, but a Catcher threw him back into the seat.

"Kela wasn't my only source in your little camp. I know you talked with him about Apocalypse and how she factored into his plans. He is with us now, and I want to make sure she is the One!" She walked back to the panel, and pressed a button, causing electricity to pour back into the cell, Kela changing into dog.

"Speak, animal."

"Liam had a suspicion that she might be…Isis. I know you have talked to Apocalypse, didn't you know this before?"

"You just confirmed my thoughts. He…wasn't certain." Christina pressed the button again. Kela screamed.

* * *

Kela's days turned into a living nightmare. When she wasn't in that God forsaken chamber, the very people that she had hid from for so many years beat her senselessly. She began to hallucinate about Logan, about Hank or any of them, that they were the ones who slammed fist and foot into her, smacking her head against the wall and choking her to the point of unconsciousness. Anytime the door slid open was when she would shrink against the wall, whimpering and sinking down into herself, hoping the Primeval would take over, releasing her from this pain. It just laughed, and allowed the torture to continue. It was taking its time, calculating the right time to strike.

She had woken again from being choked to realize that they were carrying her somewhere. It was different than all the others, the hallways larger than the others. She struggled and was rewarded with a fresh jolt of pain to the kidneys. She was thrown down in a large room, about half the size of an airplane hangar. Dr. Lee walked in, a small clutch-type bag made of black leather in her hands.

"Get Up. I need to show you something." Kela lay curled on the ground, body shaking, part out of starvation, most out of fear. Dr. Lee made a noise out of disgust, and grabbed the girl by the hair, yanking her to her feet. She shoved the girl forward towards a wall made of darkened glass, and a small panel set into the wall with two buttons. Christina pressed the higher of the two buttons, lightening the glass until the room was visible. Inside, Apocalypse sat in his golden throne, looking slightly younger, and a bit more color to his skin. Kela yelped, and threw herself back away from the glass, falling heavily to the ground.

"What…what do you want with me?" she sputtered out.

"Your energy." Christina opened the bag, taking out a single silver needle. It was roughly the size of a pinkie, and tapered sharply down to a point almost invisible. It gleamed in the harsh lighting, the tip covered in some viscous material. Kela shrunk away from the thing, knowing the last time she was stabbed; she nearly destroyed the X-Men and herself.

It was part of a set of four, each completely identical, and each was as deadly as the last. Christina walked towards the girl as Kela tried to drag herself back. Dr. Lee took one step quicker, and grabbed the girl by the shirt. The needle sliced through the jacket, releasing her. Kela wriggled out of Christina's grasp of only a second, before the needle was slammed into the girl's stomach.

Kela's body acted as if on fire, and she screamed. Out of her own accord, Kela's head slammed into Dr. Lee's, just as she slammed the second into the girl's side. The Primeval raged, and Kela's heart rate sped up, faster than any animal could beat. Kela leapt up and stumbled towards the opening not making very far before Christina leapt upon the girl, slamming the third into Kela's back.

"Die, die for Apocalypse!" and she slammed the fourth and final into her heart. Kela yelled, and threw herself away from Christina, a feral growl escaping her throat. Kela spoke in the ancient language, and staggered towards Dr. Lee, intent on killing her. This was when the Primeval burst forth. The remains of the jacket flew apart as the wings spread from the Dragon's body, a roar bellowing forth from the great maw. Ignoring the Doctor, it focused its attention on the glass. It slammed its head against it, the glass cracking in a thousand pieces and shooting inside the room. The energy from the Primeval then seeped into the room, and Apocalypse laughed. A hand shot out from the throne and a shot of energy slammed into the great head, knocking the Primeval back from the glass. He rose up, levitating over the ground, as his body grew younger, the chest growing with muscle and sinew as the hieroglyphics glowed and swirled around him. The black eyes hardened and glowed, and the rooftop blew off, and he rose into the air, and vanished.

The Dragon shook its head, and turned its attention to Christina. She was grasping at her head, blood oozing between her fingers as she stared up in fear. Its nose wrinkled, stared into her soul.

_Die, die for Apocalypse!_ It echoed back her words, and spewed forth a great fire, the hole in the neck somewhat healed, incinerating the woman. It burst through the wall, and up and out through the roof. Attaching itself to the top of the roof, it howled with anger. As the Great Blue dragon raised its wings to take to the sky, something slammed into it. Another Great Dragon, twice the size of the Primeval-Kela, and a deep red with amber eyes. They bellowed at each other, and launched themselves in the air. They collided and began a downward spiral, hooked onto each other by the great talons, snapping at each other's necks. The Blue Dragon let go at the last minute, crashing its head into the others, and flew back to the top of the sky. As it began to inhale, the other Dragon collided with the other's neck, sinking four-inch long serrated teeth into the soft flesh below the throat.

The Great Dragon screamed and bellowed, shaking its immense head to avoid the cloud of darkness creeping into its vision. The other let go and watched as the Dragon fell to the earth, changing back to Kela, a bloody gash covering the side of her neck. It landed lightly in the grass beside the unconscious girl, and gently picked her up. Carefully it took to the sky, heading towards a familiar place.

* * *

Logan was staring off into the distance when a figure crept into his view. At first he thought it was a bird, but quickly changed his mind when it grew in size. He extended his claws running back from the balcony and down the hall, meeting Storm halfway down the stairs. Charles Xavier was staring out a window and saw the two bursts out the main doors. He frowned slightly, and probed the Dragon's mind, slightly. His eyes widened, and he sent a thought to Logan and Storm.

_Don't attack him. He's carrying something important._

The Dragon landed lightly in the grass in front of the two, Kela in its grasp. It shifted back to Gerr, holding the girl in his arms. Tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Help her."


End file.
